Atlanta Dream Head Coach Nicki Collen Is Leaving the WNBA to Coach Baylor’s Women’s Basketball Team

Wow! Talk about a big move in the WNBA just a few weeks before the start of the 2021 WNBA season.

Late Monday evening, news broke that Atlanta Dream head coach Nicki Collen is leaving the Atlanta Dream for a new role as the head women’s basketball coach at Baylor.

According to ESPN,

She replaces Kim Mulkey, who left last week to become LSU’s coach. Current Atlanta assistant Mike Petersen takes over as interim head coach of the Dream, who begin their season on May 14.

“Nicki is a passionate leader of young women and an elite basketball mind and teacher of the game,” Baylor athletic director Mack Rhoades said in a statement. “She is a great mission fit who shares in our vision of Preparing Champions for Life by commanding excellence both on and off the court. Nicki’s professional experience will be invaluable to developing players for the next level. Her addition sustains our commitment to the women’s basketball program at the highest level.”

Collen became the Dream’s head coach prior to the 2018 season and went 38-52 in her three years with Atlanta. Her best season was her first, when the Dream finished 23-11 in 2018 and advanced to the WNBA semifinals.

Prior to her time with the Dream, Collen was an assistant for two WNBA seasons with the Connecticut Sun.

Collen, who will turn 46 on May 13, was a college assistant before moving to the WNBA, working at Florida Gulf Coast, Arkansas, Louisville, Ball State and Colorado State. She worked with her husband, Tom Collen, at Arkansas, Louisville and Colorado State when he was head coach at those schools. She played collegiately at Purdue and Marquette.

“I am thrilled to be the head coach at Baylor University. I believe it is the top job in the country for women’s basketball,” Collen said. “I am excited to begin working with this extremely talented team, and I am grateful for the unwavering support of President [Linda] Livingstone and Mack Rhoades. The success of this program speaks for itself, and I will begin working today to ensure Baylor women’s basketball continues to be a program that excels at the highest levels.”

Congratulations to Coach Collen on her new journey.

Stay tuned to TheseUrbanTimes.com for all your WNBA news. Follow @eldorado2452 and @theseurbantimes on twitter and instagram for all your WNBA updates.