Jory Collins Introduced as NDSU Women’s Basketball Coach

Collins spoke about how he hopes to turn the Bison program around.

FARGO, N.D. — NDSU women’s basketball introduced its new head coach Tuesday afternoon.

Jory Collins comes to Fargo, N.D. after most recently working as an assistant at Kansas.

He also has head coaching experience, something his predecessor, Maren Walseth, did not have prior to her tenure NDSU.

Collins coached Emporia State for eight seasons, averaging nearly 25 wins per year in his time there.

He led the Hornets to the Division-II  Sweet Sixteen six years in a row and got as far as the Final Four in 2015.

When he started at Emporia though, the team was fresh off a national title, so this will be his first taste of rebuilding a program.

But, Collins doesn’t think that will be an issue once he puts his own stamp on NDSU.

“We’re going to be really, really tough, and we’re going to add some consistency to what we’re going to do that you’re going to see night in and night out,” he said. “You’re going to see the growth, and it’s going to happen quick, because we’re going to zero in on a couple of things that we’re going to get really good at, and those things are going to start steamrolling. Pretty soon we’re going to get to a level where we can compete at the top of the summit league and hopefully beyond that.”

NDSU Director of Athletics Matt Larsen says there were several reasons why Collins was the top choice.

“He has a proven formula to build and sustain a program,” Larsen said. “Most importantly, and we spent a lot of time on this, he understands why he’s here. He’s here because of the young women in the program and making sure they have an incredible experience at NDSU.”