Current Coach Eugene Collins Completes His 14th Season at PHS Updated 2/27/23

Submitted by trojan7 on Tue, 06/07/2022 - 20:26

Portsmouth Trojans boys basketball coach Eugene Collins completed his 13th season at PHS, and now has an overall record of 192-116, with 2 Final 4 appearances in 2011 and 2012, an Elite 8 appearance in 2015, an SEOAL championship in 2012 and 2014, and seasons of 21, 24, and 20 wins, coming in 2011, 2012, and 2015, respectively. Coach Collins was also named the SEOAL coach of the year in 2012, and D3 Ohio COY. His last 4 teams in the SEOAL (2011-2014) finished 2nd, 1st, 2nd, and 1st in the league. The Trojans captured a co-championship in the OVC in just their first year of competition (2014-2015). Coach Collins has averaged 15 wins a season during his tenure.

After Portsmouth struggled through 7 straight losing seasons from 2003-2009 (52-100 overall), Collins took the reigns at PHS in 2010 and immediately ended the streak, posting a 12-7 record. The Trojans then advanced to the OHSAA Division 3 state tournament in 2011 and 2012, finishing state runnerup in 2012. His son, Len, was a starter on the 2012 Trojans. In the 2012-2013 season, after losing all but 1 player off the 2012 state runnerup team, and starting two sophomores and a freshman for the bulk of the season, Coach Collins still managed to guide his Trojans to a 10 win season. The 2013-2014 Trojans compiled an outstanding mark of 19-5 with a district runnerup finish, losing to Lucasville Valley 58-55 on a 3 pointer at the buzzer. Valley finished as regional runnerup in Athens D3. The 2014-2015 Trojans lost in the regional final to Columbus Eastmoor 49-45, finishing with a 20-7 mark. This past season 2016-2017 saw the Trojans post a very good 17-8 record, with a sectional championship win over North Adams. Portsmouth advanced to the district semifinal in Athens, where the Trojans lost to South Point 59-42. The Trojans went 16-8 in the 2017-2018 season, but reversed that record with an 8-16 mark in the 2018-2019 season, only the 4th Trojan team to lose at least 16 games in a season. The 2019-2020 season concluded with a 56-32 loss to Eastern Brown in the Waverly sectional. Portsmouth ended the season with a 10-13 record.

Eugene is a 1983 graduate of Portsmouth High School, and was a longtime assistant to Jim Arnzen at Shawnee State University. Arnzen now serves as Eugene's assistant at PHS. Eugene is well remembered for a last second buzzer beater he made at the 8th St. Gym vs. Columbus East in 1983, giving the Trojans a 62-61 win.

Update 7/24/2020: With Coach Collins coming back for the 2020-21 season, which will be his 12th, it will make him the 2nd longest tenured coach in PHS history, surpassing the 11 year career of Richard "Red" Hopkins, who coached the Trojans from 1926-1936. Collins had already passed Hopkins into 2nd place on the winningest coaches list with 173 wins after going 10-13 in 2019-2020. Hopkins compiled a very fine 168-58 record. George Heller is the longest tenured coach in history, with a 17 year career spanning from 1952-1968, with a record of 224-137.

Update 2/27/21: After the completion of the 2020-21 season, Coach Collins is now 181-105 for his career.

Update 2/19/22: After the completion of the 2021-22 season, Coach Collins is now 192-116 for his career.

Update 1/14/23: As of this date, Coach Collins is 196-124. Trojans 4-8 on the season thus far.

Update 2/4/23: Coach Collins is 198-128. PHS is 6-12 on the season thus far.

Update 2/6/23: Coach Collins is 199-128 after a 84-63 win at Portsmouth West.

Update 2/8/23: Coach Collins is 200-128 after a 68-54 win at Mars Hill Academy.

Update 2/11/23: Coach Collins is 200-129 after a 79-64 loss to Ironton. PHS now 8-13.

Update 2/27/23: Coach Collins announced his retirement after the loss at South Point in the sectional tournament. He finished with a career record of 201-130, the 2nd winningest coach in PHS history and he had the 2nd longest tenure as HC.