Ben McCollum

Iowa native Ben McCollum enters his first season as the head men's basketball coach for the University of Iowa. McCollum is the 23rd head coach in program history.

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.

“Returning to Iowa City as the head coach of the Hawkeyes is a dream come true for me and my family. The passion of Hawkeye fans is unmatched, and I am incredibly excited to get started on this new journey together,” said McCollum. “I am thankful to so many people who have been part of my journey, especially Michelle, Peyton, Tate and Grace.”

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 the Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year, which is presented annually to the top first-time head coach in Division I college basketball.  He was also one of 10 coaches nationally named as a semifinalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year after leading Drake to 31 victories -- 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.

McCollum's individual accolades were a direct result of the high-level players he recruited and instructed. His Bearcat squads captured a dozen MIAA regular season titles, eight MIAA tournament crowns, and over his final eight seasons the program averaged more than 31 wins per year and compiled a record of 253-21 (92.3 winning percentage).

During McCollum's Bearcat tenure, the program’s single season win totals were staggering. He led the team to at least 21 wins in each of his final 13 seasons. Five of those years included 30+ wins highlighted by an undefeated 38-0 campaign in 2018-19. That season marked just the fifth time in Division II history that a team ran the table through the regular and postseasons.
 
Individual players flourished under McCollum. He coached dozens of players to All-MIAA status and a handful of others to more specialized recognition. Those individual honors were highlighted by two National Players of the Year, six NABC All-Americans, six MIAA Players of the Year, three MIAA Defensive Players of the Year and five MIAA All-Freshman selections.

McCollum's storied coaching career began as a graduate assistant at Northwest, his alma mater, from 2003-05. He experienced his first full-time position at Emporia State for four seasons (2005-09) before returning to Maryville and taking over as the Bearcats' head coach.
 
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 North Iowa Area Community College in Mason City, Iowa, where he was a two-time all-region selection.
 
Born in Iowa City, McCollum was raised in Storm Lake, Iowa, 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. McCollum’s mother, Mary Timko, earned her undergraduate, master’s and law degrees from the University of Iowa.

He and his wife, Michelle, have three children – sons Peyton and Tate and daughter, Grace Ann.