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Iowa men's basketball hires Ben McCollum as new coach
(Story courtesy of the Des Moines Register)
The University of Iowa did not need to look far for its new coach. On Monday, the university agreed to hire Drake's Ben McCollum as its next head men's basketball coach. Between stops at Division II Northwest Missouri State and Drake, McCollum has a 425-95 overall head coaching record.
McCollum will replace longtime Hawkeye head coach Fran McCaffery. McCaffery spent 15 seasons in that role at Iowa and is the all-time winningest coach in program history. But after Iowa's exit from the Big Ten Tournament this past season, the Hawkeyes elected to move on from McCaffery and embark on a new era.
McCollum is tied to the state of Iowa. He was born in Iowa City and raised in Storm Lake. He started his playing career at North Iowa Area Community College.
In 15 seasons as the head coach at Northwest Missouri State, McCollum tallied an overall record of 394–91. He helped guide Northwest Missouri State to four Division II national titles. One of those seasons came in the form of a perfect 38-0 run. Another was a nearly unblemished 35-1.
Drake won the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament championships and entered the NCAA Tournament with a record of 30-3. That included victories over power conference programs in Miami (Fla.), Vanderbilt, and Kansas State during the regular season. Drake lost back-to-back games in early January but went on to win 18 of its last 19 contests entering the NCAA Tournament. After earning an 11-seed in the NCAA Tournament, Drake knocked off 6-seed Missouri in the round of 64 before falling to Texas Tech on Saturday.
McCollum brings a style of play that would look different from what Iowa fans have been used to under McCaffery. As of games through March 23, Drake ranked 364th among Division I teams in adjusted tempo this season, according to KenPom. That said, the Bulldogs also ranked 74th in adjusted offensive efficiency and 40th in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom.
There is one major hole in McCollum's resume. He has been a head coach at the Division I level for just one season. Iowa will be McCollum's first power conference job.
