Everyone has something that they enjoy and for Brian James, it’s basketball. The Special Assistant to the Head Coach has been at Northwestern for the last decade in some capacity and is enjoying the success that the Northwestern Wildcats are having in the Big Ten this year. James is originally from Taylorville and credits his time in Taylorville with his coaches as to what got him into coaching.
James spent time coaching a young Chris Collins when he was in school. He now has the pleasure of working alongside Collins who is the head coach of Northwestern basketball.
Northwestern was able to break a tournament drought in 2016 and 2017 and make the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. James credits the fans for their run that year and says it’s important to show support for your program – whether that’s Illinois or Northwestern, who face off Thursday night. He says they try to take it game by game but everyone knows what kind of rivalry Northwestern and Illinois have and it adds a lot to it.
If you’re a high-school athlete, James says to keep working hard.
The #21 Northwestern Wildcats (20-7, 11-5) take on the Illinois Fighting Illini (18-9, 9-7) on Thursday evening at 8 PM on New Country 104.1. To hear the full interview with Coach Brian James see below.
