Nicki Collen was introduced as the fifth Head Coach in Baylor women’s basketball history on May 5, 2021 and received a contract extension to 2023 that was announced in July of 2024. She enters her fifth season at the helm in 2025-26.
In her first season with the Bears, Collen recorded the most wins by a rookie head coach in the country with 28. She helped lead the Bears to their 12th-straight Big 12 regular-season title and their 11th-straight top-two seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Collen implemented her system, which featured more perimeter shooting. Baylor went from the bottom of the list nationally to just outside the top 50 in 3-pointers made. In her first season, the Bears set new program records for 3-pointers made (233) and attempted (678).
From her introductory press conference, the Naismith Coach of the Year semifinalist said the Bears would be playing their best basketball late in the season, and she was right. Baylor became the first team to defeat a ranked opponent twice in a three-day span since 1999 when the Bears downed Texas two times to open the month of February. Two weeks later, exactly a month after sitting at the bottom of the conference standings with an 0-2 record, BU was back atop the league's leaderboard.
Collen implemented the 1-0 mentality that paid off with a 25-point win at No. 8 Iowa State in front of a nearly soldout crowd of 13,000 raucous fans which clinched the conference crown. Baylor became the first team since Texas Tech in 2000 to start a Big 12 season 0-2 and go on to win the league.
After her first season ended in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Collen saw three of her players be selected in the 2022 WNBA Draft, tying a program record. Two of them - NaLyssa Smith (No. 2) and Queen Egbo (No. 10) marked the first duo to be taken in the top 10 in program history.
Collen's first recruiting class was ranked No. 9 nationally by ESPN HoopGurlz.
In year two, Collen mentored two all-conference selection, two unanimous Big 12 All-Freshman Team picks and the unanimous Big 12 Freshman of the Year, Darianna Littlepage-Buggs. Littlepage-Buggs earned eight Big 12 Freshman of the Week awards during the 2022-23 campaign, becoming the first BU rookie to earn it eight-or-more times in program history. Additionally, she ranked second in the Big 12 all-time in freshman of the week honors.
The Bears secured 20 wins for the 23rd-straight year, which is the second-longest active streak among Division I programs behind UConn's 30-straight 20-plus win seasons. Collen led Baylor to its 19th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2022-23 and 21st overall, as the Bears erased an 18-point deficit to win their opening-round game against Alabama.
Collen's Bears ended year three with a trip to the Sweet 16, highlighted by seven wins over AP-ranked opponents, the most among Big 12 programs. At the beginning of the 2023-24 season, the Bears compiled the second-best start in program history, behind only 2012's 40-0 season, totaling 14-straight non-conference wins. BU then opened the new Foster Pavilion on Jan. 3, 2024, with a strong 71-50 defeat of then-No. 23 TCU in the first conference game of the season.
The 2024-25 season featured runner-up finishes for the Bears in both the Big 12 regular season and the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship. Collen notched her 100th win in just 134 games as head coach, the fastest to reach the milestone in Baylor’s NCAA era. BU led the conference in rebounds per game, powered by a standout season from Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, who earned WBCA Honorable Mention All-America honors and was the only player in the league to average a double-double.
At the conclusion of the 24-25 slate, six Bears combined for seven All-Big 12 honors. Littlepage-Buggs was named to the First Team, while Sarah Andrews and Aaronette Vonleh earned Second Team recognition. Yaya Felder was Sixth Player of the Year, and Bella Fontleroy landed on the All-Defensive Team while joining Jada Walker in receiving All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors.
Collen came to Baylor from the WNBA’s Atlanta franchise, where she spent the last three seasons at the helm for the Dream. Her rookie season in Atlanta resulted in a 23-11 season in 2018, where she earned WNBA Coach of the Year honors and helped the franchise to the WNBA Playoff Semifinals.
Prior to her arrival in Atlanta, she spent two seasons under former head coach Curt Miller of the Connecticut Sun, helping the franchise improve from fifth in the East Division to second from 2016 to 2017, respectively.
“I am thrilled to be the head coach at Baylor University. I believe it is the top job in the country for women’s basketball,” said Collen. “I am excited to begin working with this extremely talented team and I am grateful for the unwavering support of President Livingstone and Mack Rhoades. The success of this program speaks for itself, and I will begin working today to ensure Baylor women’s basketball continues to be a program that excels at the highest levels.”
Collen’s collegiate coaching career spanned for nine seasons prior to her WNBA arrival. She spent two seasons as an assistant at Colorado State from 2000-2002, one season at Ball State from 2002-2003, one at Louisville from 2003-2004, three at Arkansas from 2011-2014 and two at Florida Gulf Coast from 2014-2016.
Her teams’ combined record in nine seasons as an NCAA Division I assistant was 214-74, good for a .743 win percentage. As an assistant, Collen guided four different squads to the NCAA Tournament, reaching the second round in three of those seasons.
She spent six of her nine seasons as an assistant under her husband, Tom Collen’s head-coaching tenures at Colorado State, Louisville and Arkansas. She also discipled under Tracy Roller at Ball State and Karl Smesko at Florida Gulf Coast. Collen helped the FGCU program to a 64-9 record and the school’s first NCAA Tournament win in her two-year tenure.
In her nine seasons at the collegiate level, Collen coached three All-Americans and saw three players selected in the WNBA
Draft.
Collen’s collegiate playing career began at Purdue in 1993-94, when the Boilermakers made an NCAA Final Four run with a 29-5 overall record and a 16-2 mark in the Big Ten. Her sophomore season, Purdue made another deep run with an Elite Eight appearance to go with a 24-8 overall record. She transferred to Marquette, where she tallied 421 assists in her final two seasons, averaging 7.0 per game in her last 60 collegiate games. She helped the Golden Eagles to two-straight NCAA Tournament appearances in 1997 and 1998.
Nicki and her husband Tom have three children, Connor, Reese and Logan.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT NICKI COLLEN
“Nicki Collen is a great hire for Baylor. A well-respected basketball mind in the WNBA, she has the knowledge and work-ethic to succeed at one of the top programs in women’s college basketball. Much like the woman who preceded her, Collen is a fiery competitor with a big personality. She is a nice fit for Baylor.”
—Rebecca Lobo, ESPN Analyst, former NCAA Champion
“Nicki made an immediate impression as a head coach in the WNBA and it was a big challenge to coach against her. She likes an up tempo game, is innovative, and will bring a great style to Baylor Basketball. She is known for being direct and honest with her players in order to get the best from them on and off the court. I’m looking forward to watching her continue the great tradition of Baylor Basketball.”
—Mike Thibault, Washington Mystics Head Coach
“Congrats to the Baylor Administration on hiring Nicki Collen as their next basketball coach! Nicki is a detailed strategist and a relationship builder with a tireless work ethic. Coach Collen will bring more winning success to the student athletes on and off the court and the Lady Bear fans will be entertained with a fast paced offensive style of play! Buckle up for some intense, high octane offense!”
– Debbie Antonelli, ESPN Analyst
“Nicki has a brilliant basketball mind and a tremendous ability to connect with players. Nicki is high-energy, self-motivated, and ultra competitive. She will do great things at Baylor.”
– Karl Smesko, Florida Gulf Coast Head Coach
“Nicki Collen is one of the best basketball minds I’ve covered over the years. Her depth of knowledge and understanding of the x’s and o’s is second to none. Coupled with vast experience at various levels on the college and WNBA side, there will be more Big 12 Championships in Baylor’s future.”
– LaChina Robinson, ESPN Analyst
“The Lady Bears program is always near and dear, and I am excited to see what Coach Collen will do on the sidelines in Waco. Fans can expect some fiery defensive skills for Coach C!”
– Kalani Brown, Atlanta Dream player, former Lady Bear
“I was really looking forward to working with Coach Collen in the WNBA, and while I didn’t get that chance, I couldn’t be happier for her to join our alma mater and lead the Lady Bears. I am excited to see her in the green and gold.”
– Odyssey Sims, Atlanta Dream player, former Lady Bear
“Today is an exciting day for Baylor University and our women’s basketball program. Nicki is a passionate leader of young women and an elite basketball mind and teacher of the game. She is a great mission fit who shares in our vision of Preparing Champions for Life by commanding excellence both on and off the court. Nicki’s professional experience will be invaluable to developing players for the next level. Her addition sustains our commitment to the women’s basketball program at the highest level. We welcome Nicki, her husband Tom and children, Connor, Reese and Logan, to the Baylor family.”
– Mack Rhoades, Baylor Vice President & Director of Athletics
“We are excited to have Nicki lead our women’s basketball program, and we look forward to welcoming her into the Baylor Family. I appreciate the work of Mack Rhoades and his team in identifying our next coach who understands our commitment to an elite program, aligns with Baylor’s Christian mission and appreciates how we prepare champions for life at our University. After visiting personally with Coach Collen, I can’t wait to see her and our student-athletes as they represent our great University both on the court and inside the classroom as well as throughout the Waco community.”
– Baylor President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D
WNBA ACCOLADES
• 2018 WNBA COACH OF THE YEAR
• JULY 2018 WNBA COACH OF THE MONTH
• AUGUST 2018 WNBA COACH OF THE MONTH
Collegiate All-Americans Coached
| 2002 |
Angie Gorton |
Colorado State |
| 2004 |
Sara Nord |
Louisville |
| 2016 |
Whitney Knight |
Florida Gulf Coast |
| 2022 |
NaLyssa Smith |
Baylor |
| 2023 |
Sarah Andrews |
Baylor |
| 2025 |
Darianna Littlepage-Buggs |
Baylor |
WNBA Draft Picks Coached in College
| 2003 |
Tamara Bowie |
Washington |
| 2012 |
C'eira Ricketts |
Phoenix |
| 2016 |
Whitney Knight |
Los Angeles |
| 2022 |
NaLyssa Smith |
Indiana |
| 2022 |
Queen Egbo |
Indiana |
| 2022 |
Jordan Lewis |
Connecticut |
| 2025 |
Aaronette Vonleh |
Dallas |
WNBA All-Stars Coached
| 2017 |
Jasmine Thomas |
Connecticut |
| 2017 |
Alyssa Thomas |
Connecticut |
| 2018 |
Angel McCoughtry |
Atlanta |
Collen's WNBA Head-Coaching Record, Year-By-Year
| Year |
Franchise |
Conference |
OVRL |
Postseason |
| 2018 |
Atlanta |
Eastern |
23-11 |
WNBA Semifinals |
| 2019 |
Atlanta |
Eastern |
8-26 |
|
| 2020 |
Atlanta |
Eastern |
7-15 |
|
| Totals |
3 Seasons |
|
38-52 |
1 Appearance |
Collen's WNBA Assistant-Coaching Record, Year-By-Year
| Year |
Franchise |
Conference |
OVRL |
Postseason |
| 2016 |
Connecticut |
Eastern |
14-20 |
|
| 2017 |
Connecticut |
Eastern |
21-13 |
WNBA Second Round |
| Totals |
2 Seasons |
|
35-33 |
1 Appearance |
Collen's Collegiate Assistant Coaching Record, Year-By-Year
| Year |
School |
Position |
OVRL |
CONF |
Postseason |
| 2000-01 |
Colorado State |
Assistant Coach |
25-7 |
10-4 |
NCAA-Second |
| 2001-02 |
Colorado State |
Assistant Coach |
24-7 |
12-2 |
NCAA-First |
| 2002-03 |
Ball State |
Assistant Coach |
18-8 |
12-4 |
WNIT-Second |
| 2003-04 |
Louisville |
Assistant Coach |
20-10 |
11-3 |
WNIT-First |
| 2011-12 |
Arkansas |
Assistant Coach |
24-9 |
10-6 |
NCAA-Second |
| 2012-13 |
Arkansas |
Assistant Coach |
20-13 |
6-10 |
WNIT-Second |
| 2013-14 |
Arkansas |
Assistant Coach |
19-11 |
6-10 |
|
| 2014-15 |
Florida Gulf Coast |
Assistant Coach |
31-3 |
14-0 |
NCAA-Second |
| 2015-16 |
Florida Gulf Coast |
Assistant Coach |
33-6 |
14-0 |
WNIT-Finals |
| Totals |
9 Seasons |
|
214-74 |
95-39 |
8 Appearances |
Collen's Collegiate Head Coaching Record, Year-By-Year
| Year |
School |
Position |
OVRL |
CONF |
Postseason |
| 2021-22 |
Baylor |
Head Coach |
28-7 |
15-3 |
NCAA-Second |
| 2022-23 |
Baylor |
Head Coach |
20-13 |
10-8 |
NCAA-Second |
| 2023-24 |
Baylor |
Head Coach |
26-8 |
12-6 |
NCAA-Sweet 16 |
| 2024-25 |
Baylor |
Head Coach |
28-8 |
15-3 |
NCAA-Second |
| Totals |
4 Seasons |
|
102-36 |
52-20 |
4 Appearances |
