BasketballHiringOhio Valley

Tennessee State hires Brian “Penny” Collins

Nashville native and former Belmont star Brian “Penny” Collins has been tabbed as the new head coach at Tennessee State. Collins, who spent the last few seasons assisting at East Tennessee State and Illinois State, began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at TSU.

This is the first Division I head coaching job for Collins, though he spent three years as head coach at Columbia State CC in nearby Columbia, TN.

Tennessee State had some success under former head coach Dana Ford, who left last week to take the Missouri State job. The Tigers haven’t been to the NCAA Tournament in 1994, but next year’s team should return three of their top five scorers from 2017-18, including OVC Defensive POY Christian Mekowulu.