Former Bulls coach immortalized in bronze

Former NBA player and Chicago Bulls coach Doug Collins got a surprise sneak preview of a bronze sculpture featuring him and his former Illinois State University coach, Will Robinson.

Friends of Collins brought him to the Fine Art Studio of Rotblatt-Amrany in Highwood on Friday to view the work in progress, ahead of a video presentation on the statue at halftime of Saturday's college basketball game between ISU and Southern Illinois University.

"I wish I had that much hair," Collins quipped when his saw the piece. "This is amazing, absolutely amazing."

The statue is being crafted by Rotblatt-Amrany studio artist Lou Cella. The Lindenhurst artist also created the statues of Harry Caray on display at Wrigley Field and White Sox great Carlton Fisk at US Cellular Field among others.

The sculpture features Collins with his hand resting on the back of the kneeling coach Robinson.

Robinson was the first black coach of an NCCA Division 1 basketball team, and was Collins' coach in the early 1970s. He was 96 when he died last year.

The idea to commemorate Collins and Robinson came from ISU media relations director Todd Kober after coach Robinson's death. The piece was purchased by a family from ISU for an undisclosed amount.

Gazing at the clay sculpture in the studio, Collins reflected about his former coach and mentor, and said Robinson never ceased to impress him.

"He was an amazing guy," Collins said. "His wisdom was off the charts. He blazed a lot trails for other black coaches."

Collins, 58, was a star basketball player during his days at ISU. He was also a member of the U.S. Olympic team in 1972 before playing for several NBA teams. He was named head coach of the Bulls from the mid to late 1980s. These days, he provides color commentary for TNT Sports TV.

The Collins piece is still in the early phases of production and won't be done for several months. The sculpture will be on display outside of ISU's Redbird Arena in downstate Normal by midsummer.