Is Ben McCollum to Iowa imminent? Exploring the rumors around Drake basketball HC
Ben McCollum has been in the spotlight this week. The Drake coach is reportedly set to leave the program for another coaching job.
Amid the rumors of McCollum leaving Drake, fans are curious to know if he is set to take up the Iowa vacancy.
Is Ben McCollum to Iowa imminent?
Ben McCollum is reportedly finalizing his contract to become the next Iowa coach. The move is expected to be announced soon.
McCollum was initially tipped to join West Virginia, a team that he was linked to over the past few weeks since he shares a close relationship with Mountaineers director of athletics Wren Baker. However, on Sunday, multiple reports suggested that he will become the next Hawkeyes coach.
Per reports, McCollum likely favored Iowa over WVU since he was born in Iowa City.
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McCollum was hired as Drake's coach in 2024 and he did an excellent job in his first season with the program. He led the Bulldogs to the regular season title and clinched the conference tournament title, confirming a spot in March Madness.
In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, McCollum's No. 11-seeded Drake upset No. 6-seeded Missouri 67-57. However, the Bulldogs' March Madness run ended in the second round following a 77-64 loss to No. 3-seeded Texas Tech.
McCollum's run with Drake has attracted interest from several programs. It's only a matter of time before he is announced as the new Iowa coach.
McCollum began his coaching career as a graduate assistant in 2003 at Northwest Missouri State. He spent two years with the Bearcats before joining Emporia State as an assistant in 2005.
McCollum returned to Northwest Missouri State in 2009 as a head coach. He led the program to a 395-91 record across 15 seasons and won four NCAA Division II championships.
It will be interesting to see how he fares at Iowa next season, once his deal with the Hawkeyes is finalized.