New Orleans Pelicans’ Duke connections: Chris Collins and Steve Wojciechowski
Chris Collins
Chris Collins, who is the son of Hall of Famer Doug Collins, was probably the guy most people thought would be a successful head coach.
He has the basketball DNA and Coach K has always spoken highly of him as a coach and teacher.
He got his first head coaching gig in the WNBA before becoming Amaker’s assistant at Seton Hall. He is now the head coach at Northwestern, where he has amassed a 109-118 record, hardly inspiring.
But Northwestern is not a basketball powerhouse and because of its rigorous academic standards, has a harder time recruiting than some of the other Big Ten schools.
If the Pels are looking for someone with pedigree, Collins might get consideration even though the success hasn’t been there yet.
Steve Wojciechowski
Personally I hope WoJo doesn’t get the job because I don’t want to have to spell that name every day.
He is the least experienced of the head coaches from Coach K’s tree, but he is a rising star. He was an assistant at Duke before taking over the head coaching duties at Marquette, where he has a 115-81 record overall.
This one would be a shocker, but WoJo has all of the qualities one would look for in a head coach and Coach K absolutely loves him.
WoJo probably doesn’t have the experience to be considered for this job, but he is a name to keep an eye on for the future.