Men's Basketball
James, Brian
Brian James
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- bjames@northwestern.edu
- Phone:
Brian James is in his fourth season as an assistant coach at Northwestern on Chris Collins’ staff.
James served as Collins’ coach during his high school career at Glenbrook North where he helped Collins gain McDonald’s All-America status as well as the title of Illinois’ Mr. Basketball.
James is in charge of working with the Wildcats’ post men and played a vital role in developing Alex Olah into one of the top centers in the Big Ten. Olah became Northwestern’s all-time leader in blocked shots in only three seasons while finishing with 181 for his career. He also posted 1,161 career points and left NU with 663 rebounds to rank ninth in program history in the category.
With both Olah and fellow veteran big man Joey van Zegeren sidelined due to injury at the beginning of Big Ten play in 2015-16, James groomed freshman Dererk Pardon for a key role on the squad. In just his second career game and first Big Ten game, Pardon posted 28 points and 12 rebounds in a victory at Nebraska under James’ tutelage.
Some of Olah’s top performances came against the top big men in the Big Ten, including NBA Lottery selections Noah Vonleh of Indiana and Frank Kaminsky of Wisconsin as well as Purdue’s A.J. Hammons.
James came to Northwestern after spending three seasons as an assistant coach with the Philadelphia 76ers alongside head coach Doug Collins, Chris Collins’ father. He helped the Sixers reach the 2012 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals.
The Taylorville, Illinois, native has 14 years of NBA coaching experience. Prior to joining the Sixers, James served as an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks for three seasons from 2005-06 through 2007-08. In addition to the Bucks, James had held assistant coaching positions in the NBA with Washington (2001-03), Toronto (1998-2001) and Detroit (1995-98). His stints with the Wizards and Pistons also came as a member of Doug Collins’ staff.
The Raptors reached the semifinal round of the Eastern Conference playoffs in 2001 and James helped coach the Eastern Conference squad at the 1997 NBA All-Star Game while on the coaching staff of the Pistons.
During his time in the NBA, James coached such notable players as Michael Jordan, Grant Hill, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Michael Redd, Elton Brand and Andre Iguodala.
He also served as an NBA analyst for ESPN.com and spent two years as an advance scout for the Seattle Supersonics.
His 18 years of high school coaching experience in the state of Illinois were split between four different high schools. In addition to Glenbrook North, James also served head-coaching stints at Romeoville and Wilmington. He compiled a varsity career coaching record of 196-79 (.713) and helped his teams reach the state tournament four times.
A 1977 graduate of Illinois State University with a degree in physical education, James holds a masters degree in educational administration from Northeastern Illinois University.
He has three children: Christopher, Dayna and Brady.
James served as Collins’ coach during his high school career at Glenbrook North where he helped Collins gain McDonald’s All-America status as well as the title of Illinois’ Mr. Basketball.
James is in charge of working with the Wildcats’ post men and played a vital role in developing Alex Olah into one of the top centers in the Big Ten. Olah became Northwestern’s all-time leader in blocked shots in only three seasons while finishing with 181 for his career. He also posted 1,161 career points and left NU with 663 rebounds to rank ninth in program history in the category.
With both Olah and fellow veteran big man Joey van Zegeren sidelined due to injury at the beginning of Big Ten play in 2015-16, James groomed freshman Dererk Pardon for a key role on the squad. In just his second career game and first Big Ten game, Pardon posted 28 points and 12 rebounds in a victory at Nebraska under James’ tutelage.
Some of Olah’s top performances came against the top big men in the Big Ten, including NBA Lottery selections Noah Vonleh of Indiana and Frank Kaminsky of Wisconsin as well as Purdue’s A.J. Hammons.
James came to Northwestern after spending three seasons as an assistant coach with the Philadelphia 76ers alongside head coach Doug Collins, Chris Collins’ father. He helped the Sixers reach the 2012 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals.
The Taylorville, Illinois, native has 14 years of NBA coaching experience. Prior to joining the Sixers, James served as an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks for three seasons from 2005-06 through 2007-08. In addition to the Bucks, James had held assistant coaching positions in the NBA with Washington (2001-03), Toronto (1998-2001) and Detroit (1995-98). His stints with the Wizards and Pistons also came as a member of Doug Collins’ staff.
The Raptors reached the semifinal round of the Eastern Conference playoffs in 2001 and James helped coach the Eastern Conference squad at the 1997 NBA All-Star Game while on the coaching staff of the Pistons.
During his time in the NBA, James coached such notable players as Michael Jordan, Grant Hill, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Michael Redd, Elton Brand and Andre Iguodala.
He also served as an NBA analyst for ESPN.com and spent two years as an advance scout for the Seattle Supersonics.
His 18 years of high school coaching experience in the state of Illinois were split between four different high schools. In addition to Glenbrook North, James also served head-coaching stints at Romeoville and Wilmington. He compiled a varsity career coaching record of 196-79 (.713) and helped his teams reach the state tournament four times.
A 1977 graduate of Illinois State University with a degree in physical education, James holds a masters degree in educational administration from Northeastern Illinois University.
He has three children: Christopher, Dayna and Brady.
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