What to know about new Iowa men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum

IOWA CITY — Iowa men’s basketball has its next head coach.

The Hawkeyes have signed Drake’s Ben McCollum, the athletic department announced Monday morning in a press release. He replaces Fran McCaffery, who was in Iowa City for 15 seasons before his dismissal on March 14.

Here’s what to know about the Hawkeyes’ newest head coach:

Where has McCollum coached before?

McCollum was most recently the head coach at Drake for the 2024-25 season. (He replaced Darian DeVries, who left for West Virginia and now is at Indiana.) Before that, he had a much-acclaimed 15 seasons as the head coach at Division II-level Northwest Missouri State.

Here is the full list of McCollum’s past coaching stops:

What’s McCollum’s all-time coaching record?

McCollum’s all-time Division I coaching record is an impressive 31-4 (.886). (That includes wins over power-conference teams such as Miami (Fla.), Vanderbilt, Kansas State and Missouri.) When including his 15 seasons at the Division II level, McCollum’s all-time coaching record is 425-95 (.817).

How has McCollum’s teams fared in postseason play?

One of fans’ notable qualms with McCaffery was the Hawkeyes’ lack of winning in March. (They never advanced past the first weekend in McCaffery’s seven trips to the NCAA tournament.)

In McCollum’s one season at Drake, his 11th-seeded Bulldogs reached the second round after upsetting Missouri in the first round.

In his 15 seasons at Northwest Missouri State, he reached the NCAA Division II tournament 12 times. His teams won four Division II national championships and advanced to at least the region championship — equivalent to the Division I Sweet 16 — eight times.

What are McCollum’s connections to Iowa?

McCollum’s connections to the state of Iowa go beyond just coaching at Drake for this past season.

He was born in Iowa City although he was raised in Storm Lake (and graduated from St. Mary’s High School there). He first played at North Iowa Area Community College in Mason City before transferring to Northwest Missouri State, where he later coached.

What have other coaches said about McCollum?

Marquette’s Shaka Smart said via McCollum’s Northwest Missouri State bio that he “really, really understands culture and what goes into winning from a people standpoint.”

“Then he’s a great coach on both ends of the floor,” Smart said. “And like the way that they play, you can tell he teaches guys and helps guys grow in how to play as opposed to little parts of the offense or parts of the defense. He teaches them to understand how to put it all together.”

When Drake hired McCollum, Smart added via the Drake press release that he “possesses a rare combination of tremendous relational skills, extreme work ethic, an innate ability to evaluate and develop talent and a terrific basketball mind.”

Texas Tech’s Grant McCasland said via last year’s Drake release that McCollum is an “elite coach in every category I know of.”

“He knows the game as well as anyone, both on offense and defense,” McCasland said. “But what separates him is the relationships he builds. That allows him to hold guys accountable to the highest standard of winning, but he doesn't just win championships, he builds programs that can sustain championship capabilities.”

What has Beth Goetz said about the McCollum hire?

McCollum’s introductory news conference will be Tuesday afternoon in Iowa City. In the meantime, Iowa athletics director Beth Goetz said via a press release that McCollum has a “track record of success both on and off the court.”

“His talent for developing student-athletes and fostering a strong team culture has been evident throughout his career,” Goetz said. “I am confident that Hawkeye fans will enthusiastically support the McCollum family as we embark on the next chapter of Iowa men’s basketball.”

What has McCollum said about taking the Iowa job?

McCollum described the move as a “dream come true for me and my family.”

“The passion of Hawkeye fans is unmatched, and I am incredibly excited to get started on this new journey together,” McCollum said via the press release. “I am thankful to so many people who have been part of my journey, especially Michelle, Peyton, Tate and Grace.”

What was McCollum’s style of play at Drake?

McCaffery’s Hawkeyes and McCollum’s Bulldogs were virtually polar opposites when it came to offensive tempo.

Iowa’s average offensive possession length was 15.7 seconds, according to KenPom. That was 16th-fastest nationally and the fastest in the Big Ten. Drake, on the other hand, had the longest average offensive possession length in the country at 21.9 seconds.

Defensively, McCollum’s Drake team thrived at forcing steals. The Bulldogs were second in the country with a steal rate of 14.4 percent, again per KenPom. For perspective, the Division I average this season has been 9.7 percent.

What roster situation is McCollum inheriting at Iowa?

Seven Hawkeyes have announced plans to enter the transfer portal since McCaffery’s firing. Class of 2025 recruits Joshua Lewis and Dezmon Briscoe decommitted from Iowa as well. Here are the Hawkeyes’ remaining scholarship players for 2025-26:

That being said, McCollum still may have the opportunity to re-recruit some of the Iowa players who entered the portal.

Cooper Koch said on social media that he will “be staying in contact with the Iowa men’s basketball program and will be keeping all options open.” Ladji Dembele, likewise, said on social media he is “keeping open the option to return back to Iowa.”

Other Iowa players in the portal include Owen Freeman, Pryce Sandfort, Brock Harding and Riley Mulvey.

How did McCollum use the transfer portal at Drake?

The transfer portal was a helpful tool for McCollum in his one and only season at Drake.

Four of McCollum’s five starters at Drake came with him from Northwest Missouri State, including leading scorer Bennett Stirtz. The one other starter, Tavion Banks, is a junior college transfer from Northwest Florida State College.

McCollum has expressed the desire to build outside the transfer portal as well.

“From a recruiting perspective, it’ll be still a considerable amount of high school,” McCollum said in a National Association of Basketball Coaches video in December. “And then sprinkle in two, three, four transfers — probably each year, you’re going to have to — that have the right mental makeup.”

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com

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