On3 shares coaching hire grade of Ben McCollum to Iowa basketball
Ben McCollum is off and running as Iowa's new head men's basketball coach.
The 43-year-old sold forward Cooper Koch on withdrawing his name from the transfer portal and returning to Iowa. Then, McCollum signed five former Drake Bulldogs to Iowa in guards Bennett Stirtz, Kael Combs, Isaia Howard and in forwards Tavion Banks and Cam Manyawu.
As McCollum continues to reshape Iowa's roster, other major coaching vacancies around the country have been filled.
With more clarity nationally, On3 released its coaching carousel grades. Iowa hiring McCollum earned an A- grade from On3's James Fletcher III.
Iowa made the bold choice to capitalize on a rare influx of Iowa-connected head coaches atop the college basketball landscape by moving on from long-time leader Fran McCaffery. The Hawkeyes now turn to a perennial winner across multiple levels, Ben McCollum, who will bring a change of pace they hope can break through the difficult Big Ten standings.
After backing up four Division II national championships with an NCAA Tournament run at Drake, McCollum quickly moved toward the top of coaching hot boards across the country. The biggest questions facing his jump to Drake were squashed early. However, with another jump, questions about his ability to recruit at a high level and utilize resources to handle yet another jump in competition remain. - Fletcher, On3.
McCollum led Drake to Missouri Valley regular season and conference tournament titles during his lone season in Des Moines. The Bulldogs finished with a 31-4 record and upset No. 6 seed Missouri in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, 67-57, before falling to third-seeded Texas Tech in the round of 32.
Stirtz was named the Missouri Valley Conference Larry Bird Player of the Year after averaging 19.2 points, 5.7 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game while shooting 49.8% from the field and 39.5% from 3-point range.
While McCollum is indeed making another jump up, Iowa fans should be encouraged that McCollum has won everywhere that he's been.
Indiana also earned an A- grade for hiring former Drake and West Viriginia head coach Darian DeVries as its new coach. Minnesota likewise received an A- grade for hiring Colorado State's Niko Medved. NC State earned an A+ for hiring McNeese head coach Will Wade as the new head coach of the Wolfpack.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Josh on X: @JoshOnREF
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