Iowa men’s basketball head coach Ben McCollum passes Bennett Stirtz (14) during practice June 19, 2025 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Iowa's New Coach Already Turning Heads

Originally posted on Iowa Hawkeyes on SI
By Connor Mardian | Last updated Oct 3, 2025 11:00 AM ET

Since the hiring of new Iowa Hawkeyes men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum, the direction of the Hawkeyes has shifted toward the belief that this Iowa team can compete under the former North Iowa Community College and Northwest Missouri State College player.

In CBS Sports’ “Candid Coaches” series, led by Matt Norlander and Gary Parrish, the pair anonymously interviewed several college basketball coaches on a number of topics. One of their most recent questions focused on “Who is the best X’s and O’s coach in college basketball right now?”

McCollum received 5% of the votes. This may not seem high, but it actually ranks fifth among all coaches nominated.

Last season, McCollum’s Drake team had the nation’s 281st-ranked scoring offense, averaging just 69.8 points per game. Drake’s elite defense ranked second in the nation, allowing only 58.9 points per game, behind only eventual national runner-up Houston. For those concerned about Drake’s scoring, the Bulldogs ranked 29th nationally in field-goal percentage and had the fewest possessions per game, just 62, proving they are a slow-moving monster.

McCollum is not only bringing his coaching mind to Iowa; the four-time Division II national champion also brought several players with him.

He added five transfers from Drake. According to 247Sports, Iowa’s transfer class ranks eighth nationally. The class includes three three-star players — Kael Combs, Isaia Howard and Tavion Banks — all of whom followed McCollum from Drake.

McCollum also landed three four-star players: Cam Manyawu, Brendan Hausen and Alvaro Folgueiras. Manyawu comes from Drake, Hausen from Kansas State and Folgueiras from Robert Morris.

The class’ lone five-star recruit is Bennett Stirtz, one of just 10 five-star players in the portal. Stirtz also played for Drake.

Stirtz is one of the nation’s purest scorers. Last season at Drake, he averaged 19.2 points per game, ranking 33rd nationally. He also shot 49.79% from the field and totaled 200 assists, 16th-best in the nation.

While McCollum will face a challenging Big Ten and non-conference schedule, his 31-4 record in his first season at Drake shows he can transition nearly seamlessly to Division I.

This article first appeared on Iowa Hawkeyes on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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