Tennessee State University

Brian "Penny" Collins enters his eighth season in 2025-26 as the head men's basketball coach at Tennessee State University. Hired on March 26, 2018, as the 18th head coach in program history, Collins returned home to North Nashville, where he previously spent time as a graduate assistant and director of basketball operations from 2007-09 under then-head coach Cy Alexander.

A proven leader with deep ties within Music City, Collins has been one of the most influential coaches in college basketball. His perfect graduation rate and ability to develop and recruit transfers from high-major programs and turn them into professional and all-conference caliber performers have earned him recognition. Since taking over at TSU, Collins has coached over 20 players who have gone on to play at the professional level.

Collins has also opened his program up to the city through various community service projects. These include volunteering at The Food Pharmacy at Nashville General Hospital, Sunday Cleanups on campus, Metro Public Schools Principal for a Day, Penny & Practice, and various church community-organized events.

In Summer 2022, Collins introduced the Deserve2Win Celebrity All-Star Weekend. This yearly event aims to raise funds for the Tennessee State Athletic Fund through a social dinner event and a celebrity basketball game at the Gentry Center. The list of participants has included NBA and former TSU player Rob Covington, NBA legend and Memphis Tigers head coach Penny Hardaway, multiple NFL players such as former star Terrell Owens, members of the Tennessee Titans, San Francisco 49ers WR Jauan Jennings, Houston Texans offensive guard Shaq Mason, and other NFL stars. Actors, celebs, and artists such as David Arquette, and Blocboy JB have also played in the fundraising event. 

In Fall 2021, TSU and Collins became the first HBCU program to host a Pro Day at the Gentry Center. In the last two years, more than 10 NBA scouts from teams such as the Milwaukee Bucks, Orlando Magic, and Indiana Pacers have attended the Pro Day event.

The 2023-24 season saw Collins become the first TSU coach in the Division I era to record three 18-win seasons after leading his team to 18 wins for the second straight season. Additionally, the Tigers won 11 games inside the Gentry Center, marking the first time a TSU squad has won 10+ home games in back-to-back seasons. The Tigers picked up impressive non-conference wins over Portland, Southeastern Louisiana, and Austin Peay. The program earned its fourth post-season tournament invite under Collins after finishing the year 18-15 (10-8).

Collins added five Division I transfers before the season, highlighted by former Florida player Jason Jitoboh, who led the OVC in total blocks with 74 and finished as one of the nation’s leaders in total blocks and blocks per game. In addition, Collins brought in EJ Bellinger and Michael Shanks from Belmont, and Kinyon Hodges from EIU, who all proved to be immediate assets to the team. Hodges set a TSU record with eight steals in the season finale against SIUE.

The Tigers reached the OVC Tournament for the third straight season, securing a first-round victory over Southern Indiana. Christian Brown became Collins’ seventh All-OVC performer after earning a spot on the All-OVC Second Team. Brown put together his best season in a Tiger uniform, making 28 starts and finishing with career highs in minutes, points, rebounds, steals, assists, and blocks.

After the season, Jason Jitoboh and Christian Brown were selected to play in the 2024 HBCU All-Star Game in Phoenix, Arizona. The pair join former Tiger Jr. Clay, who played in the 2023 All-Star game, and Kassim Nicholson who appeared in the 2022 All-Star Game. Brown finished as one of the leading scorers in the game with 21 points.

Collins kicked off his fifth year in North Nashville with the addition of Tennessee Tech transfer Jr. Clay to the roster. Clay looked to become the first five-time All-OVC player. The 2022-23 season proved to be a year of accomplishments for the team. TSU led the OVC in total home attendance with 47,472 fans, averaging 2,792 per game. The opening night attendance against Fisk ranked as the sixth-best turnout at the Gentry Center with 8,967 fans. The team tied its Division I record for most home wins with 13 and achieved a new best with six home wins during nonconference play, the most during the modern-OVC era.

The team also performed well in the SoCal Challenge, finishing second and defeating CSUN. Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. was named to the All-Tournament team. In a game against Bryan, Dedric Boyd tied Darryl Brooks' record with nine made three-pointers. From late January into February, TSU had a five-game winning streak, the longest under Collins and the most since 2017-18. The Tigers reached the century mark in a conference game for the first time in a decade, scoring 100 points, and Clay became just the third Tiger to score 40 points at the Gentry Center in a win over SIUE.

In his fourth season, Collins saw an uptick, collecting 14 victories during the 2021-22 campaign and securing his first OVC Tournament win over SIUE in the First Round. Carlos Marshall Jr. added his second All-OVC Second Team recognition, along with transfer Kassim Nicholson, who previously played at Alabama-Birmingham. TSU won four of its final seven regular-season games and experienced a late-season push with a road win at UT Martin, followed by a near upset over No. 23 Murray State. This game marked the first post-COVID restrictions game with nearly 5,000 fans returning to the Gentry Center.

Amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Collins' third season (2020-21) brought a ray of hope with the emergence of Nashville-native freshman Marcus Fitzgerald Jr., the top-rated high school point guard in Tennessee from Pearl-Cohn. Fitzgerald Jr. finished second in team scoring, averaging 12.5 points per game, behind Mark Freeman, who was named to the All-OVC Second Team after leading the Tigers with 17.1 points and 4.6 assists per game. Freeman would go on to win the OVC Player of the Year in 2023 as a member of Morehead State.

In the 2019-20 season, TSU experienced tremendous growth under Coach Collins. They doubled their win total, reaching an impressive 18 victories, and won their first eight home games to start the season. Additionally, there was a remarkable 300 percent increase in Gentry Center attendance, placing TSU at the top of the NCAA for the most improved attendance. Collins' achievements earned him the BOXTOROW Coach of the Year award, while TSU basketball saw an increase in viewership with the highest ESPN+ rating in the OVC.

The Tigers qualified for the CollegeInsider.com tournament and were set to host the John McLendon Classic before the COVID-19 pandemic halted all postseason play.

On the court, the Tigers achieved a significant milestone by winning the Visitors Bracket of the Las Vegas Continental Tire Invitational, marking their first preseason tournament victory since the 2016 Cable Car Classic. Carlos Marshall Jr. was recognized for his performance, earning a spot on the All-OVC Second Team and Newcomer Team. Marshall Jr. finished his first year at TSU with averages of 11.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

In his first season as the head coach of the Tigers, Collins produced All-OVC Second Team honoree Donte Fitzpatrick-Dorsey, a transfer from Mississippi. Fitzpatrick-Dorsey's statistics significantly improved under Collins, as he averaged 14.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game as a Tiger. TSU won nine games, including an impressive double-overtime win on the road against Morehead State in mid-February. Collins' team faced formidable nonconference opponents, including No. 10 Kentucky, Memphis, and Vanderbilt.

Before accepting the head coaching position at TSU, Collins served as an assistant coach at Illinois State under Dan Muller during the 2017-18 season. During his time in Normal, Illinois, Collins helped propel the Redbirds to an 18-15 record and a berth in the Missouri Valley Conference Championship Game.
 
Collins also served as an assistant coach at East Tennessee State from 2015-17, contributing to the Buccaneers' impressive 51-20 record during his tenure. In his final season in Johnson City, Collins played a crucial role as the Bucs captured the Southern Conference Tournament and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament as a 13-seed. ETSU posted a 27-8 overall record and won a share of the SoCon regular-season title with a 14-4 league mark.
  
Before his time at ETSU, Collins served as the head coach for three seasons (2012-15) and led the Chargers to the Tennessee Community College Athletic Association regional championship game in his final two seasons. He secured the tournament title in the 2014-15 season. During his last two years at Columbia State, Collins' teams achieved an impressive overall record of 54-11 and made consecutive appearances in the National Junior College Tournament. In the 2014-15 season, he coached two NJCAA All-Americans. His success at Columbia State earned him the 2014 Tennessee Community College Athletic Association Coach of the Year and the 2015 NJCAA District 7 Coach of the Year awards after winning the Region 7 Championship.

Collins got his first taste of the sidelines at Cumberland (NAIA) where he spent three seasons (2009-12) working under former TSU assistant Lonnie Thompson.

Before his coaching career, Collins had a successful playing career at Belmont University. He played as a four-year starting point guard and two-time captain under the guidance of legendary head coach Rick Byrd from 2003-2006. During his time at Belmont, the Bruins compiled 72 wins, including their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2006 and their first-ever National Invitation Tournament (NIT) appearance in 2004. Collins left a significant impact on the program and graduated as Belmont's all-time leader for assists and steals in the Division I era, while also scoring 1,199 career points. In September 2019, the 2004 team was inducted into the Belmont Legends Hall of Fame.

Following his college career, Collins played professionally overseas for the Kouvot Bears in Finland and the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Developmental League.

Collins holds a bachelor's degree in physical education from Belmont University, which he earned in 2006. He later pursued a graduate degree in sports administration from Tennessee State University in 2009.

Collins is married to Lakeya Collins and has one son, History.