Western Kentucky Keeps Women's Basketball Coach Despite Losing Record

Donors and coach's salary contribution boost NIL funding to improve roster for next season

Published on Mar. 9, 2026

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Western Kentucky University has decided to keep women's basketball coach Greg Collins despite the team's second losing record in three seasons. Athletic director Todd Stewart cited significant financial commitments from donors, as well as Collins giving part of his own salary to the program's name, image and likeness (NIL) fund, as the reasons for retaining the coach. Stewart said the new investment will provide the Lady Toppers with substantially more resources to build a competitive roster for next season.

Why it matters

Retaining Collins despite recent losing seasons shows Western Kentucky's commitment to investing in its women's basketball program and leveraging NIL deals to improve the team's competitiveness. This move reflects the growing importance of NIL in college sports and how it can be used to support women's athletics.

The details

Western Kentucky finished the 2025-26 season with an 8-21 record, though eight of those losses were by five points or less. Despite the team's struggles, the university decided to keep Collins as head coach. Collins is 132-111 since taking over the program in 2018 and led the Lady Toppers to a 23-9 record last season. The coach apologized for this season's performance, saying the program didn't meet the new challenges as college athletics 'changed dramatically'.

  • Western Kentucky finished the 2025-26 season with an 8-21 record.
  • Greg Collins has been the head coach of the Lady Toppers since 2018.

The players

Greg Collins

The head coach of the Western Kentucky women's basketball team since 2018.

Todd Stewart

The athletic director of Western Kentucky University.

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What they’re saying

“I am confident our new resources will result in significant and notable improvement immediately. This program has a history of 20-win seasons, competing for conference championships and reaching postseason tournaments and these goals are the expectation of our program.”

— Todd Stewart, Athletic Director

“We do have a detailed plan for significant improvement, and I appreciate the new NIL commitments by our donors that will immediately impact our program.”

— Greg Collins, Head Coach

The takeaway

Western Kentucky's decision to retain coach Greg Collins despite recent losing seasons demonstrates the growing importance of NIL deals in supporting women's college basketball programs. By securing significant financial commitments from donors and having the coach contribute his own salary, the university is investing in its team's competitiveness and signaling a commitment to building a successful women's basketball program.