By Marissa Essenburg | Sports Writer
When Nicki Collen arrived in Waco, she stepped into more than a head coaching job; she stepped into a legacy. Baylor women’s basketball had become synonymous with dominance, and Collen, coming from the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream, knew immediately what she was inheriting.
A fifth-season collegiate head coach now entrenched in the rhythm of the Big 12, Collen has done what few could: honor the past while fearlessly building toward her own vision of what Baylor basketball can be.
“I am thrilled to be the head coach at Baylor University,” Collen said after accepting the position in 2022. “I believe it is the top job in the country for women’s basketball. The success of this program speaks for itself, and I will begin working to ensure Baylor women’s basketball continues to be a program that excels at the highest levels.”
Her path to Waco wasn’t the usual climb. Before turning college programs around, Collen spent three seasons guiding the Dream, crafting a 23-11 record and earning WNBA Coach of the Year as a rookie in 2018. The Dream made a run to the WNBA semifinals, cementing her as a coach who could excel under pressure and elevate rosters quickly — qualities that proved even more valuable as Baylor navigated the transition from longtime head coach Kim Mulkey, now at LSU.
Collen delivered.
In her debut season, Collen recorded the most wins by a rookie head coach in the country (28) and kept Baylor’s conference streak alive, pushing the Bears to their 12th consecutive regular-season title and extending their top-two NCAA Tournament seeding streak to 11 seasons.
Her recruiting class soon followed suit, ranked No. 9 nationally by ESPN HoopGurlz, with her second year producing multiple all-conference honorees and the unanimous Big 12 Freshman of the Year in Darianna Littlepage-Buggs. Now, as a senior, Littlepage-Buggs stands as one of the most decorated players in program history.
Now 111–37 at Baylor, Collen’s journey isn’t just lined with accolades; it’s built on years of layered experience. Nine seasons as a Division I assistant shaped her coaching backbone: stops at Colorado State, Ball State, Louisville, Arkansas and Florida Gulf Coast taught her the power of adaptability and detail. Long before that, her identity was forged as a floor general at Purdue and later Marquette, where she led Conference USA in assists as a redshirt junior and senior.
“Much like the women who preceded her, Collen is a fiery competitor with a big personality,” said ESPN Analyst and former NCAA champion Rebecca Lobo. “She is a nice fit for Baylor.”
That competitive fire is matched by something else: connection.
Her influence extends well beyond Waco, echoed by colleagues who’ve seen her journey up close. Among them is Karl Smesko — once her fellow coach at FGCU, now the head coach of the Atlanta Dream.
“Nicki has a brilliant basketball mind and a tremendous ability to connect with players,” Smesko said. “She’s high-energy, self-motivated and ultra competitive.”
Connection is the heartbeat of Baylor’s program, and Collen’s approach to fostering it is intentional.
“I still have a lot of teaching to do with this group,” Collen said. “But that’s my job, that’s what I get paid to do.”
She’ll say it with a smile, but the honesty never fades. She knows the pressure that comes with Baylor. She’s felt it. Embraced it.
“There’s a lot of pressure on this job, but it doesn’t mean I’m not grateful every day that I coach this game,” Collen said.
And yet, for all the expectations, Collen always returns to the beauty of the game itself.
“My favorite part about coaching a basketball game — and it was when I was a player — is when they start pointing at one another,” she said. “That’s when I get my most joy from coaching, seeing them be unselfish.”
Her team mirrors that mentality. After an upset win over Duke in Paris, she pointed to the culture more than the scoreboard:
“We have a good locker room and a good practice setting,” Collen said. “Kids compete on the practice floor; they’re coachable.”
She knows what sharing the basketball represents — balance, trust, identity. But with success comes pursuit. She doesn’t hide from that either.
“You get wins like this and the target gets bigger,” Collen said after the Duke game on Nov. 3. “I don’t think anyone comes to Baylor and doesn’t think there’s a target on your back. From here on out, we’re going to get chased.”
Five seasons in, Collen has secured more than wins. She has carved out a renewed standard: one that blends grit with joy, pace with purpose and pressure with gratitude.
And the chase, it seems, only fuels her more.
Collen and the Bears will close out their five-game homestand at 11 a.m. Tuesday against Alabama State at Foster Pavilion. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
