Collen spent the last three seasons as the head coach of the Atlanta Dream before arriving in Waco.
Baylor hired Nicki Collen as the women's basketball program's head coach on Monday, the school announced.
Collen spent the last three seasons as the head coach of the WNBA's Atlanta Dream. She earned WNBA Coach of the Year honors in 2018 as the Dream reached the semifinals. Collen previously spent nine seasons as an assistant at five different schools, reaching the women's NCAA tournament with four programs.
"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 in a statement. "I am excited to begin working with this extremely talented team and I am grateful for the unwavering support of President Livingstone and Mach 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."
Collen joins the Bears after former head coach Kim Mulkey left Baylor for LSU on April 25. Mulkey led Baylor to national titles in 2005, 2012 and 2019, and she posted a 632–104 record during her time in Waco. Mulkey has the third-best winning percentage in women’s basketball history behind UConn's Geno Auriemma and former Louisiana Tech head coach Leon Barmore.
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