Chicago native Armon Gates is in his third season as an assistant coach at Northwestern.
Gates joined the Wildcats after spending the previous two seasons just down Sheridan Road on the staff at Loyola University Chicago.
"We're very excited to add Armon to our staff," Collins said. "He has a tremendous energy and passion for the game. He is an accomplished recruiter and was an outstanding player at Kent State and he'll be able to lean upon his own experiences as we develop our guys. He'll be a valuable asset to our program in all areas as we move forward."
"I'm excited to work under a head coach with the pedigree that Coach Collins has and I'm grateful to him for this wonderful opportunity," Gates said. "It's great to be able to remain in Chicago as we strive to build our recruiting footprint in the area. We look forward to keeping Big Ten-level players here to receive a great education. Obviously, Northwestern is a prestigious university and I look forward to being a part of this family and helping our staff make a difference."
In his first year at Loyola, Gates helped forward Ben Averkamp earn second-team All-Horizon League honors to become Loyola's first all-conference performer since 2006-07. In addition, Walt Gibler finished his career as one of only 18 players in Loyola history to total both 1,000 points and 500 rebounds under Gates' tutelage.
Prior to his time in Rogers Park, Gates spent the 2010-11 campaign as an assistant at TCU. Gates worked with the Horned Frogs' guards and helped Hank Thorns become a third-team All-Mountain West Conference selection. Thorns finished the season as the only individual ranked among the top 12 in the nation in both assists per game and assist-turnover ratio. His 225 assists ranked No. 2 in MWC single-season history while also averaging 10.7 points per game.
Prior to his brief stay at TCU, Gates spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Kent State, helping the Golden Flashes to the 2009-10 Mid-American Conference regular-season title. In his final year at Kent State, Gates was part of a staff that guided the Golden Flashes to the second round of the NIT.
Gates began his coaching career as a graduate assistant coach at Western Kentucky. In his lone season on the Hilltoppers' staff, the team recorded a 29-7 overall record and reached the NCAA Sweet 16.
During his playing days at Kent State, Gates helped the Golden Flashes to a 88-42 record and three postseason appearances. Kent State recorded four straight 20-win seasons during his time on campus and he closed out his career tied for second in school history with 200 3-point field goals.
Gates graduated from Kent State in 2006 with a degree in leisure studies and earned his master's degree in sports administration from the same institution in 2007. He was a MAC All-Academic selection.
Gates prepped at Hillcrest High School and his brother, Dennis, is currently an assistant coach at Florida State.