Former Trojan McCollum named Iowa men's basketball coach
IOWA CITY - Former NIACC men's basketball player Ben McCollum has been named the head coach for the University of Iowa men's basketball program, it was announced Monday by Henry B. and Patrica B. Tippie Director of Athletics Chair Beth Goetz.
McCollum, who played at NIACC from 1999-2001, is the 23rd head coach in program history.
"We are excited to welcome Coach McCollum and his family back to Iowa City. Ben 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," said Goetz in a press release by the University of Iowa. "I am confident that Hawkeye fans will enthusiastically support the McCollum family as we embark on the next chapter of Iowa men's basketball."
McCollum arrives in Iowa City with a sterling resume that includes four NCAA Division II national championships (2017, 2019, 2021, 2022) at Northwest Missouri State University. In his first season in NCAA Division I, McCollum guided Drake to a school-record 31 wins, the Missouri Valley Conference regular season and tournament titles, and to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
During his 16-year coaching career, McCollum has amassed a record of 426-95 record for an 81.8 winning percentage. It is fifth-best all-time among collegiate men's basketball coaches.
During his first and only season in Des Moines, McCollum guided the Bulldogs to a 31-4 record en route to being named the Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year and one of 10 coaches nationally named as a semifinalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year. The team's 31 victories were the most by a first-year coach in MVC history.
After sweeping the league's regular season and tournament titles, the Bulldogs earned a No. 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Drake followed with a 67-57 triumph over sixth-seeded Missouri to record the program's first non-First Four win since 1971.
The Bulldogs boasted the Larry Bird Player of the Year (Bennett Stirtz) and Sixth Man of the Year (Tavion Banks), while having two all-league, one all-newcomer and one all-defensive team selection. Four of McCollum's players from Northwest Missouri State joined him at Drake.
During his 15-years in Maryville, Missouri, McCollum posted a 395-91 record (81.3 winning percentage) and he earned five NABC Division II National Coach of the Year awards, the most for a single coach in Division II history. McCollum also garnered three Clarence Gaines Awards, nine Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) Coach of the Year honors and was a 2024 Missouri Sports Hall of Fame inductee.
As a player, McCollum helped lead Northwest Missouri State to a 51-12 record and the program's first-ever Elite Eight appearance in 2001-02 following a 29-3 season. That was also the first time the Bearcats ever swept both regular season and tournament titles, an accomplishment he replicated years later as head coach.
McCollum's playing career began at NIACC where he was a two-time all-region selection in 1999-2001 under then head coach Steve Krafcisin. McCollum is 47th on the NIACC all-time scoring list with 692 points and ninth on the career 3-point goal list with 115.
Born in Iowa City, McCollum was raised in Storm Lake and graduated from St. Mary's High School in 1999. He earned his bachelor's degree in business finance from Northwest Missouri State in 2003 and his master's in athletic administration from the school in 2004.
He and his wife, Michelle, have three children – sons Peyton and Tate and a daughter, Grace Ann.