Iowa men’s basketball has lived in the shadow of Hawkeyes women’s program and former superstar Kate Linklark in recent years.
Caitlyn Clark has been putting Iowa women’s basketball on the map in recent years, but the Hawkeyes’ men’s program has been relatively quiet.
The Hawkeyes have not reached the Sweet 16 since 1999, and Iowa has not made it to the Elite 8 or the Final Four since the 1980s. It has only had one loss season since 2011-2012, despite the program creating a winning season every year since 2017-2018.
Former head coaching coach Ben McCollum, former head coach of Iowa and Iowa native, will try to improve that on March 24th. McCollum led Drake to the NCAA Tournament this season, with the Bulldogs (31–4) winning matches in the tournament for the first time since 1971. He also won this year’s Missouri Valley Coach, as the Bulldogs won the league regular season title and conference tournament title in their first year.
Over the past 15 years, McCollum has led the Northwest Missouri Bearcats to Division II domination, winning four national titles, 11 consecutive MIAA titles, and the 394-91 mark. Before NWMSU, McCollum began coaching from 2003 to 2005 as a graduate assistant at Bearcats. He then acquired an assistant job for Division II Emporia from 2005 to 2009.
“Bringing back to Iowa City as the Hawkeyes head coach is a dream come true for me and my family,” McCollum said in a statement Monday.
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“The passion of Hawkeye fans is unparalleled and I’m extremely excited to start this new journey together. I’m especially grateful to the many people who took part in my journey, including Michelle, Payton, Tate and Grace,” he named the kids.
McCollum grew up in Storm Lake, Iowa, where he played college basketball at North Iowa Community College from 1999 to 2001, followed by NWMSU from 2001 to 2003.
Iowa Women’s Basketball has warped the success of McCaffery in recent years, when Clark-led Hawkeyes team appeared in two national title games, appearing in the NCAA’s highest scorer ever. Currently Indiana Fever and WNBA superstar guard Clark has been recognized by Iowa for his retirement from Jersey during the season.
Meanwhile, to replace McCollum, Drake’s athletic director Brian Hardin will need to find a third coach in three years. Daryan DeBrees previously left the Bulldogs in 2024 and coached West Virginia coach before earning a new job in Indiana this year.
The Bulldogs have had eight straight winning seasons and four NCAA Tournament appearances over the past five years. Hardin called the program “sad for a variety of reasons” that he was looking for a coach again, and he only stayed in a year of disappointment for McCollum.
“But I am very encouraged and optimistic about what the future of this program will look like,” Hardin told reporters Monday. “We know we can find a great coach for the next coach. Interest for just a few hours here is off the charts… I’m so excited about it. I think we’re ready to go back to search mode.”
