Well, it’s official Iowa’s got a new guy running the men’s basketball show, and he’s one of their own. On March 24, 2025, the Hawkeyes tapped Ben McCollum, a born-and-bred Iowan, to take over from Fran McCaffery after 15 years. McCollum’s coming off a wild ride at Drake, where he turned heads with a 31-4 season, and before that, he built a freaking dynasty at Division II Northwest Missouri State. The dude’s a winner 426-95 over 16 years and now he’s back in Iowa City, where he first popped into the world 43 years ago. Hawkeye fans are buzzing, the state’s proud, and this feels like a homecoming that could shake up the Big Ten. Let’s dig into who this guy is, why Iowa’s stoked, and what’s next.
The Homecoming King
Ben McCollum’s Iowa roots run deep. Born in Iowa City yep, right where the Hawkeyes play he grew up in Storm Lake, a small town up northwest where he balled out at St. Mary’s High School. He was a first-team all-state point guard, so the guy’s been hooping since day one. After high school, he hit North Iowa Area Community College, then transferred to Northwest Missouri State, where he played for Steve Tappmeyer and helped the Bearcats snag their first Elite Eight trip in 2001-02. He’s not just some random coach Iowa’s in his blood. His mom, Mary Timko, even stacked up undergrad, master’s, and law degrees from the University of Iowa. This gig? It’s personal.
McCollum called it a “dream come true” in the press release, and you can feel the vibe. “Returning to Iowa City as the head coach of the Hawkeyes is unreal for me and my family,” he said. “The passion of Hawkeye fans is unmatched, and I’m pumped to get this going.” Athletic Director Beth Goetz is all in, too she’s hyping his “track record of success” and how he builds teams that stick together. The guy’s got a rep for winning big and keeping it real with his players, and now he’s bringing that home.
The Resume: A Winning Machine
Let’s talk numbers, because McCollum’s got a resume that slaps. He’s been a head coach for 16 years 15 at Northwest Missouri State, one at Drake and he’s racked up a 426-95 record. That’s an .818 winning percentage, fifth all-time among NCAA coaches. At Northwest, he turned a decent D-II program into a monster, winning four national titles 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2022. They went a perfect 38-0 in 2018-19, one of just five unbeaten runs in D-II history. He snagged 11 straight MIAA regular-season titles and eight tourney crowns, averaging over 31 wins a year his last eight seasons. Oh, and he’s got five NABC D-II Coach of the Year awards more than anyone in that division’s history.
Then there’s Drake. One season, 31-4, Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tourney titles, and a trip to the NCAA Tournament’s second round their first since 1971. He took an 11-seed Bulldogs squad, upset 6-seed Missouri, and had folks calling them “Division II Drake” because he brought four Bearcats with him. One of them, Bennett Stirtz, led the MVC in scoring and nabbed Player of the Year. McCollum got Coach of the Year, too, and was a Naismith semifinalist. The guy’s first D-I gig, and he’s already got a better single-season win total than Fran McCaffery ever did at Iowa. That’s nuts.
Why Iowa Needed This
Fran McCaffery’s 15 years weren’t a disaster 297 wins, most in program history, seven NCAA trips but it’s been a rough slide lately. The Hawkeyes went 17-16 this year, 7-13 in the Big Ten, and missed the last two NCAA Tournaments. They haven’t hit the Sweet 16 since 1999, and fans were done with the “close but not quite” routine. Attendance tanked down to 9,161 a game, with only 5,176 actually showing up, the lowest in 60 years. Carver-Hawkeye Arena’s been a ghost town, and the vibe was sour. Goetz pulled the plug on March 14, and you could hear the “finally” from every bar in Iowa City.
McCollum’s a shift. Fran’s teams played fast 15.7-second possessions, tops in the Big Ten scoring 82.5 points a game. McCollum? He’s the opposite. Drake had the slowest tempo in D-I this year, grinding out 69.8 points but locking teams down to 58.4, best in the nation. He calls it “death by a thousand paper cuts” control the ball, crash the boards, force turnovers. It’s not sexy, but it wins. Iowa football’s been winning ugly forever under Kirk Ferentz; maybe hoops can, too. Fans might miss the run-and-gun, but they’ll take banners over highlight reels any day.
The Challenges Ahead
This ain’t a cakewalk, though. Iowa’s roster’s a mess seven guys with eligibility left hit the transfer portal after Fran got axed, including studs like Owen Freeman and Josh Dix, who’ll cost seven figures in NIL cash to keep. Two high school commits bailed, too. McCollum’s walking into a rebuild, and Iowa’s NIL budget’s reportedly a measly $1.5 million a year chump change in the Big Ten, where schools like Ohio State and Purdue are dropping way more. Recruiting’s new for him, too he’s never had to chase Power 5 talent. At Drake, he leaned on his Northwest guys and a couple transfers; now he’s gotta navigate agents, NIL deals, and the portal like a pro.
X posts are split @brettkim24
’s worried, saying “ZERO big-time recruiting experience” and Iowa’s NIL gap could sink him. But @brauf33
’s all in: “Phenomenal hire. You don’t win that much without being awesome.” McCollum’s got a shot to bring Stirtz along he’s got one year left and maybe snag some Hawkeyes back, like Pryce Sandfort or Cooper Koch. It’s a long shot, but the guy rebuilt Drake from scratch in one offseason and won 31 games. He’s got a knack for finding the right pieces.
The Iowa Vibe: Why It Fits
Iowa loves its own, and McCollum’s the poster boy. The state’s pumping out hoops coaches Fred Hoiberg at Nebraska, Darian DeVries at Indiana and now McCollum’s back where it started. Posts on X from @ILoveIowaBball
lay it out: born in Iowa City, raised in Storm Lake, played at Northwest, and now he’s got the keys to Carver. It’s not just nostalgia he gets the culture. “The passion of Hawkeye fans is unmatched,” he said, and he’s not wrong. When Iowa’s rolling, that place shakes. He’s banking on that energy to pull this off.
Goetz sees it, too. “His talent for developing student-athletes and fostering a strong team culture has been evident throughout his career,” she said. McCollum’s not a screamer he builds trust, holds guys accountable, and wins with less flash than cash. At Northwest, he turned under-the-radar kids into champs; at Drake, he took D-II transfers and beat power-conference teams like Miami and Kansas State. Iowa’s not a blue-blood never will be but it’s got tradition, and McCollum’s style could make it a grinder’s paradise.
What’s Next?
The press conference is Tuesday afternoon, March 25, and all eyes are on what he says. Can he keep any of the portal guys? Will Stirtz follow? How’s he pitching this to recruits? Drake’s AD offered him a fat raise and more NIL money Sunday, per The Gazette, but he still jumped shows how bad he wanted this. The Big Ten’s a beast Indiana’s got DeVries now, Purdue’s still Purdue, and Iowa’s been middle-of-the-pack too long. McCollum’s got to prove his slow-and-steady wins in a league that’s fast and deep.If he pulls it off, this could be huge. Imagine Iowa crashing the NCAA’s second weekend for the first time in 26 years fans would lose their minds. X’s @midmajorball’s calling him “a proven winner” ready to “build a Big Ten contender.” Maybe he’s the Kirk Ferentz of hoops steady, tough, a lifer who turns Iowa into a quiet giant. Or maybe the NIL gap and roster chaos bury him. Either way, Iowa’s betting on its homegrown talent to bring the juice back. Welcome home, Ben time to ball out.
The Homecoming King
Ben McCollum’s Iowa roots run deep. Born in Iowa City yep, right where the Hawkeyes play he grew up in Storm Lake, a small town up northwest where he balled out at St. Mary’s High School. He was a first-team all-state point guard, so the guy’s been hooping since day one. After high school, he hit North Iowa Area Community College, then transferred to Northwest Missouri State, where he played for Steve Tappmeyer and helped the Bearcats snag their first Elite Eight trip in 2001-02. He’s not just some random coach Iowa’s in his blood. His mom, Mary Timko, even stacked up undergrad, master’s, and law degrees from the University of Iowa. This gig? It’s personal.
McCollum called it a “dream come true” in the press release, and you can feel the vibe. “Returning to Iowa City as the head coach of the Hawkeyes is unreal for me and my family,” he said. “The passion of Hawkeye fans is unmatched, and I’m pumped to get this going.” Athletic Director Beth Goetz is all in, too she’s hyping his “track record of success” and how he builds teams that stick together. The guy’s got a rep for winning big and keeping it real with his players, and now he’s bringing that home.
The Resume: A Winning Machine
Let’s talk numbers, because McCollum’s got a resume that slaps. He’s been a head coach for 16 years 15 at Northwest Missouri State, one at Drake and he’s racked up a 426-95 record. That’s an .818 winning percentage, fifth all-time among NCAA coaches. At Northwest, he turned a decent D-II program into a monster, winning four national titles 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2022. They went a perfect 38-0 in 2018-19, one of just five unbeaten runs in D-II history. He snagged 11 straight MIAA regular-season titles and eight tourney crowns, averaging over 31 wins a year his last eight seasons. Oh, and he’s got five NABC D-II Coach of the Year awards more than anyone in that division’s history.
Then there’s Drake. One season, 31-4, Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tourney titles, and a trip to the NCAA Tournament’s second round their first since 1971. He took an 11-seed Bulldogs squad, upset 6-seed Missouri, and had folks calling them “Division II Drake” because he brought four Bearcats with him. One of them, Bennett Stirtz, led the MVC in scoring and nabbed Player of the Year. McCollum got Coach of the Year, too, and was a Naismith semifinalist. The guy’s first D-I gig, and he’s already got a better single-season win total than Fran McCaffery ever did at Iowa. That’s nuts.
Why Iowa Needed This
Fran McCaffery’s 15 years weren’t a disaster 297 wins, most in program history, seven NCAA trips but it’s been a rough slide lately. The Hawkeyes went 17-16 this year, 7-13 in the Big Ten, and missed the last two NCAA Tournaments. They haven’t hit the Sweet 16 since 1999, and fans were done with the “close but not quite” routine. Attendance tanked down to 9,161 a game, with only 5,176 actually showing up, the lowest in 60 years. Carver-Hawkeye Arena’s been a ghost town, and the vibe was sour. Goetz pulled the plug on March 14, and you could hear the “finally” from every bar in Iowa City.
McCollum’s a shift. Fran’s teams played fast 15.7-second possessions, tops in the Big Ten scoring 82.5 points a game. McCollum? He’s the opposite. Drake had the slowest tempo in D-I this year, grinding out 69.8 points but locking teams down to 58.4, best in the nation. He calls it “death by a thousand paper cuts” control the ball, crash the boards, force turnovers. It’s not sexy, but it wins. Iowa football’s been winning ugly forever under Kirk Ferentz; maybe hoops can, too. Fans might miss the run-and-gun, but they’ll take banners over highlight reels any day.
The Challenges Ahead
This ain’t a cakewalk, though. Iowa’s roster’s a mess seven guys with eligibility left hit the transfer portal after Fran got axed, including studs like Owen Freeman and Josh Dix, who’ll cost seven figures in NIL cash to keep. Two high school commits bailed, too. McCollum’s walking into a rebuild, and Iowa’s NIL budget’s reportedly a measly $1.5 million a year chump change in the Big Ten, where schools like Ohio State and Purdue are dropping way more. Recruiting’s new for him, too he’s never had to chase Power 5 talent. At Drake, he leaned on his Northwest guys and a couple transfers; now he’s gotta navigate agents, NIL deals, and the portal like a pro.
X posts are split @brettkim24
’s worried, saying “ZERO big-time recruiting experience” and Iowa’s NIL gap could sink him. But @brauf33
’s all in: “Phenomenal hire. You don’t win that much without being awesome.” McCollum’s got a shot to bring Stirtz along he’s got one year left and maybe snag some Hawkeyes back, like Pryce Sandfort or Cooper Koch. It’s a long shot, but the guy rebuilt Drake from scratch in one offseason and won 31 games. He’s got a knack for finding the right pieces.
The Iowa Vibe: Why It Fits
Iowa loves its own, and McCollum’s the poster boy. The state’s pumping out hoops coaches Fred Hoiberg at Nebraska, Darian DeVries at Indiana and now McCollum’s back where it started. Posts on X from @ILoveIowaBball
lay it out: born in Iowa City, raised in Storm Lake, played at Northwest, and now he’s got the keys to Carver. It’s not just nostalgia he gets the culture. “The passion of Hawkeye fans is unmatched,” he said, and he’s not wrong. When Iowa’s rolling, that place shakes. He’s banking on that energy to pull this off.
Goetz sees it, too. “His talent for developing student-athletes and fostering a strong team culture has been evident throughout his career,” she said. McCollum’s not a screamer he builds trust, holds guys accountable, and wins with less flash than cash. At Northwest, he turned under-the-radar kids into champs; at Drake, he took D-II transfers and beat power-conference teams like Miami and Kansas State. Iowa’s not a blue-blood never will be but it’s got tradition, and McCollum’s style could make it a grinder’s paradise.
What’s Next?
The press conference is Tuesday afternoon, March 25, and all eyes are on what he says. Can he keep any of the portal guys? Will Stirtz follow? How’s he pitching this to recruits? Drake’s AD offered him a fat raise and more NIL money Sunday, per The Gazette, but he still jumped shows how bad he wanted this. The Big Ten’s a beast Indiana’s got DeVries now, Purdue’s still Purdue, and Iowa’s been middle-of-the-pack too long. McCollum’s got to prove his slow-and-steady wins in a league that’s fast and deep.If he pulls it off, this could be huge. Imagine Iowa crashing the NCAA’s second weekend for the first time in 26 years fans would lose their minds. X’s @midmajorball’s calling him “a proven winner” ready to “build a Big Ten contender.” Maybe he’s the Kirk Ferentz of hoops steady, tough, a lifer who turns Iowa into a quiet giant. Or maybe the NIL gap and roster chaos bury him. Either way, Iowa’s betting on its homegrown talent to bring the juice back. Welcome home, Ben time to ball out.
