Northwestern Needs to Commit to Men’s basketball

Bill Carmody lost the struggle to make Northwestern a respectable mens  basketball program when he was fired. Northwestern is the only BCS level program never to play in the NCAA tournament. While the football program has been competitive the last two decades, the basketball program has struggled. Jim Phillips, the school’s athletic director, has his first  opportunity to hire a new coach since he has taken the job. He had better promise a great deal more support to the new coach than Carmody received. Northwestern is not a great opportunity in college basketball. Phillips has to change that. He has to show that he is committed to giving his new coach the tools needed to build the program. Chris Collins, a Duke assistant is seen as the top candidate for the job. But Phillips has to show him why he should want it, or for that matter why anyone should want it.