Last winter, Bryant McIntosh found himself alone in the middle of Europe, playing with teammates who barely spoke English. That wasn’t anywhere near the hardest part for him.

He’d been concussed multiple times. He’d injured his elbow and needed surgery. He wanted to come home.

So he picked up the phone and asked Chris Collins for help.

“I expressed my frustration with my injuries,” he said. “Not being able to do what I wanted to do. We talked about hanging it up and if he had any intel of getting somewhere.”

Collins didn’t have any intel –– at least not yet. McIntosh told his former coach he would take any coaching job at any level, anything in basketball. He was one of the best players in Northwestern history and considering retirement, less than two years after leading the Wildcats to their first NCAA Tournament and before he’d even played a full season overseas.

A month later, Collins called again and told his former point guard he had a job interview. With Collins. In Evanston.

Now, McIntosh is back with NU as the assistant director of basketball operations, turning the page on his 1,683-point career with the Cats. It’s a pretty good first gig out of college for someone who wants to be a head coach, and McIntosh said he’s excited to work with several former coaches and teammates. “I’m not nervous,” he says.

How can he be? After playing the last game of his college career in March 2018, McIntosh just finished a 506-day journey that led him back to Evanston.

McIntosh remembers crying as the clock ran out on his senior night, hugging Collins and every other person on the Cats’ bench. It was the last time he would play in front of thousands of fans who knew his name. Less than a week later, McIntosh was just another professional basketball player.

He worked out with Purdue guard Carsen Edwards ahead of the 2018 NBA Draft but went unselected. Former New Orleans Pelicans General Manager Dell Demps, the father of former NU guard Tre Demps, knew McIntosh’s game well. So New Orleans gave McIntosh a chance as a summer league invitee.

He participated in the Pelicans’ pre-summer league camp in early July 2018 in Louisiana. But when the team flew to Las Vegas, McIntosh wasn’t on the plane. He’d gone home.

“It just wasn’t a great situation,” he said. “That’s where I learned this was a business.”

About a month later, McIntosh signed with the Leuven Bears in Belgium. He wasn’t nearly as popular across the Atlantic, and he played through multiple injuries during the season. Eventually, McIntosh was hurt to the point where he couldn’t play at the level he was used to. He wasn’t moving as easily, and the elbow affected his shooting.

“I felt I had exhausted my ability,” McIntosh said. “I knew I had accomplished every goal and every dream I had ever set out to do. I played high-level Division I basketball, I played professional basketball and I got my degree.”

Not long after McIntosh came to that conclusion, he was in Evanston meeting with Collins, athletic director Jim Phillips and director of basketball operations Chris Lauten. Before the meeting even started, they had one important question to ask McIntosh.

Did he really want to do this?

Yes, he did. He was certain his playing career was over. McIntosh made that clear in his resume, which he says he spent as much time polishing as any other recent college grad. In his cover letter, he explained in detail how his experience as a player could help get NU back to the NCAA Tournament.

Collins admits these interviews were awkward because he knew McIntosh better than any of the other candidates. But he told McIntosh wouldn’t be handed the job.

“I told him, ‘I know who you are, and I know what you’re about,’” Collins said. “‘But I want you to come in here and interview just like everyone else did.’ We looked at other candidates, and he had to prove to me that he could earn the job.”

In the interview process, McIntosh stressed his passion for coaching and his connections in the program. Even though senior forward A.J. Turner and junior guard Anthony Gaines are the only players who overlapped with McIntosh, he hosted several underclassmen on their recruiting visits. Without much of a learning curve, McIntosh was officially hired on July 17.

When McIntosh arrived, he already had a grasp of why players decided to play for the Cats in the first place. Now he’s applying that knowledge as the next generation of recruits come to campus. Last weekend, five-star guard Max Christie visited NU, and McIntosh played a major role in making sure it went well.

McIntosh says the most nerve-wracking part of his job is making sure it goes smoothly when recruits like Christie come to campus. It’s one of the most important responsibilities for a coach, but Collins knows he doesn’t have to worry about McIntosh’s ability to sell the program.

“To have him as a player who went through it, that’s a great resource,” Collins said. “He was part of a build when he came in. They took some lumps early, and they weathered the storm.”

When he isn’t telling potential recruits why they could be the person to take the Cats to the next level, McIntosh is in the film room. He’s already spent a lot of time there, analyzing upcoming opponents and preparing materials for coaches and players. It’s the exact same role Collins had in his first NCAA coaching opportunity, working with Seton Hall 20 years ago.

“The way I explained it to him was you’re just starting a new path,” Collins said.

But, of course, that path led McIntosh back to NU. He’s one of the most beloved players in program history, and Welsh-Ryan Arena might not look as nice as it does now had McIntosh not led the team to the NCAA Tournament.

As he explains what it means to be back while standing in one of the arena’s back hallways, a fan screams over and asks where he’s supposed to pick up his wristband for the football game against Ohio State. He asks where the Wilson Club is.

“Turn left, up the steps and you’re right there,” McIntosh says with the confidence of the person who built the place.

Trust him, McIntosh knows his way around.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @2021_Charlie

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