Let it never be said that Northwestern head basketball coach Chris Collins is prone to taking his frustration out on a student reporter.
Following Wednesday’s overtime road loss to Big Ten rival Purdue, Collins kept a very cool head during his postgame press conference. At one point, a student reporter for Purdue fumbled with their question.
Rather than lose his temper, Collins said something rather sweet to them: “It’s alright. I still love you,” he said with a smile.
Fans are praising Collins for being such a nice guy in that moment where he easily could have gone off – and some other coaches probably would have.
A student reporter forgets their question and Chris Collins is a cool dude. pic.twitter.com/52DQ39uChH
— Justin Spiro (@DarkoStateNews) February 1, 2024
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“As a Spartan fan he is a good dude. They will get into the Tournament again this year,” one user replied.
“I love that. It’s hard to ask good questions and it can be intimidating when the lights come on— and when you are very young, there can be a lot of anxiety. After a loss— Collins could’ve buried the kid. He was professional and that kid will keep chasing a dream. Respect,” wrote another.
“You always have a choice between making somebody feel better or worse in any situation. It’s easy to get nervous when you’re young (or old). I like the way Chris handled this after a tough loss,” CBS’ Gary Parrish wrote.
Good man.