Collin Authier is in his seventh season (10th overall) with the Augustana men’s basketball program in 2020-21. He was named the associate head coach on Sept. 14, 2020, after spending the previous six years as the lead assistant. Authier returned to Augustana as a full-time assistant coach in 2014-15 after spending three seasons as the assistant to the head coach at NCAA Division I Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. Previously, he had spent three seasons, including two as a graduate assistant, with Augustana from 2009-12.
Since rejoining the Vikings, Authier has helped Augustana to three NCAA Tournament appearances and the 2016 National Championship. In 2019-20, Tyler Riemersma earned first-team all-NSIC honors while ranking third in the nation in offensive rebounds per game and eighth in total rebounds.
In the 2018-19 season, he was the top assistant that saw a starting group of four freshmen and a sophomore capture the NSIC South Division Championship. Sophomore Matt Cartwright earned second-team all-NSIC accolades while also coaching the NSIC Freshman of the Year.
Over the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons, Augustana compiled a record of 65-5, including setting the school record for wins both years. The Vikings won a program-record 34 games in 2015-16 and secured the first men’s basketball National Championship in school history. Augustana had the highest winning percentage in NCAA Division II in 2015-16 and had the second-most wins of all NCAA teams across all three divisions.
Four players earned All-NSIC honors in 2015-16, including first-team selections Daniel Jansen, Casey Schilling and Alex Richter. Jordan Spencer, who set the single-season assist record at Augustana in 2015-16, was named All-NSIC Second Team. Jansen and Schilling earned player of the year honors from the NSIC for the second straight season. Jansen was named the NSIC’s Player of the Year and Schilling earned Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Jansen went on to be named the Central Region Player of the Year for the second straight season and eventually the NABC National Player of the Year. Jansen and Schilling finished their careers at Augustana as the top two scorers in program history, the first two players to score over 2,000 career points. Jansen owns the all-time record with 2,255 career points while Schilling finished his career ranked second with 2,054.
Richter emerged as the Most Outstanding Player of the Elite Eight in Frisco, Texas, during the team’s national championship run. Richter averaged 24.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game while shooting 58 percent from the field and 71 percent from 3-point range. He scored 32 points in the quarterfinal win over Tarleton State and led the Vikings with 26 points in the national title game against Lincoln Memorial.
During Authier’s first season back at Augustana, the team won its first-ever Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference regular-season championship before the Vikings went on to win its first-ever postseason tournament, the NSIC Tournament. Augustana hosted the NCAA Central Region Tournament for the first time in program history.
Authier helped guide Augustana to a then-school record 31 wins (31-3) in 2014-15, which included a program-record 19-game winning streak. The Vikings had the second-best winning percentage of all teams in NCAA Division II (91.2 percent) in 2014-15 and were one of just 18 teams across all divisions with 30-plus wins.
At Texas A&M - Corpus Christi, he was responsible for the majority of the administrative tasks surrounding the program, including team travel. Authier was also in charge of the team’s camps and community service projects.
Under his leadership, the Islanders were a strong presence in the Corpus Christi community. The team made appearances at numerous events and was also involved with the Ronald McDonald House, Boy Scouts and the Miracle League.
During his time at Texas A&M Corpus Christi, the Islanders finished 14-4 in the Southland Conference, which was good for second place in the 14-team league. The squad posted 12 more victories than it had the previous year, the third-largest turnaround in the nation.
During Authier’s first stint at Augustana, the Vikings posted a 66-26 record, including the 2009-10 season when Augustana won a then school-record 24 games. He was on staff for two-straight NCAA Tournament berths, including two Sweet 16 appearances.
Before coming to Augustana, Authier attended the University of Wisconsin-Superior from 2006-2008, where he also worked as a student assistant for the men's basketball program. He assisted in all aspects of the basketball program, which included practice, player development, scouting, game preparation, film exchange and recruiting.
Authier worked with a staff at UWS that was able to produce the top-recruiting class in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference after his first year as an assistant. With his help, the team produced a seven-win improvement in two years, which included a run to the semifinals of the WIAC tournament. Authier has also helped coach the D3 News Top 10 freshman in the nation and two All-WIAC players.
Authier earned his bachelor's degree in physical education from Augustana in 2009.
He and his wife, Amber, reside in Tea.
