Brian “Penny” Collins, the previous head coach of the Tennessee State College. Tigers males’s basketball program, has resigned from his function to just accept a training place within the NBA, a significant milestone for HBCU basketball teaching careers.
A Transformative Run at Tennessee State
Collins led the Tigers for seven seasons, constructing a successful tradition and restoring this system’s competitiveness within the Ohio Valley Convention (OVC). His TSU groups posted a number of 18‑win seasons, together with a 17‑13 general file in 2023‑24, and reached the OVC Match semifinals. Extra broadly, Collins completed his tenure with a 117‑103 file and two regular-season OVC titles
Off the courtroom, Collins was praised for constructing a family-first surroundings centered on tutorial success and private growth. His gamers excelled in commencement charges, whereas TSU hosted the primary HBCU Professional Day and incessantly drew NBA scouts to Nashville.
NBA Function and What It Indicators
On June 30, 2025, Tennessee State introduced Collins’s departure to affix the NBA ranks. Reviews point out he’ll serve in a participant growth function—believed to be with the Memphis Grizzlies, underneath a former teammate, signaling a direct skilled employees path from HBCU to the NBA.
This transition marks an essential shift: a high-performing HBCU coach accepted on the NBA degree. It displays rising recognition of teaching expertise developed inside these applications.
Institutional Response & Transition
Upon Collins’s resignation, Assistant Coach Erik Buggs was appointed interim head coach. Buggs beforehand served at UT Martin and was credited with serving to lead the Skyhawks to a 24‑win season and an OVC common season title in 2022‑23.
Tennessee State’s athletic management acknowledged Collins’s influence:
“Coach Collins constructed a household‑oriented tradition and a aggressive program that earned respect,” stated TSU’s Director of Athletics, noting the college is proud to see him advance to the NBA degree
Broader That means for HBCU Teaching Pathways
Collins’s departure underscores the evolving recognition of HBCU coaches on the nationwide degree. For years, expertise pipelines had been centered on athletes; now, teaching expertise can be being elevated into skilled circuits. His development helps illustrate that success at HBCU faculties can now translate into alternatives on the NBA degree.
As well as, it highlights how HBCU applications like TSU can function growth grounds not just for gamers but additionally for coaches seen as viable for skilled roles.
Legacy and Trying Forward
Collins leaves TSU with a long-lasting legacy of competitiveness and participant growth each on the courtroom and past. His influence has raised expectations for fulfillment in Nashville, and his transfer units a brand new benchmark for future HBCU coaches.
As interim coach Buggs steps up, TSU faces a brand new chapter with plans nonetheless forming for whether or not an inside promotion or exterior search will fill the pinnacle coach function completely. The following rent will inherit a program formed by Collins’s values and efficiency requirements
