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Longtime Austin Peay assistant named head basketball coach at Virginia State
March 24, 2005
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn.– Tony Collins, longtime assistant basketball
coach at Austin Peay State University, has resigned to become
head coach at his alma mater, Virginia State.
He was introduced as the Trojans new head coach at a Wednesday afternoon press conference. He is
taking over a Division II program, located in Petersburg, Va., that was 13-15 in 2003-05.
“He is excited about it and we are excited for him,” APSU coach Dave Loos said. “He deserves the
chance–he has put in a lot of time and hard work (as an assistant) and I am pleased too see him rewarded
with the opportunity to run his own program.
“This is a job I think Tony believes is a really good fit for him. He went to school and played there. He
knows the area and some of the people over there. This is a job he has had his eye on and it is great see him
get that chance.”
Collins just completed his 16th season as an APSU assistant, 15 of them under Loos. When Loos was
named head coach in July 1990, he elected to retain Collins from the previous coaching staff. Collins joined the
Govs staff in 1989, moving over from the Lady Govs program after serving one season as an assistant. He has
helped the Governors become one of the OVC’s most consistently successful programs that has seen 12
straight .500 or better Ohio Valley Conference seasons, including three Ohio Valley Conference championships
and a pair of NCAA tourney appearances.
“He has been an integral part of what we have done here,” Loos said. “I appreciate the contributions he
has made to our program and the good relationships he built with the kids here over the years. Now he is ready
to take the lead in his own program.”
Collins came to APSU in 1988-89, joining former associate Jim Phillips as women's assistant. The two
became acquainted at Virginia State, when Phillips served as women’s head coach and Collins played for the
men’s team. Collins, a 1979 Virginia State graduate, later served as a graduate assistant at his alma mater and
later followed Phillips to Friends University, Wichita, Kan., serving as assistant men's coach in 1980.
He remained in Wichita in 1981, working toward his master's degree at Wichita State, before returning
to coaching in 1982. Collins spent two seasons as women's assistant coach at Miami (Ohio) University.
After a stint in private business, he coached LaPlata’s High School girls’ basketball team to the 1987 Maryland
state championship before moving to Fayetteville State (Fayetteville, N.C.) as an assistant men’s coach and
Boys Club program director.
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