Iowa's New HC Embraces Lofty Expectations

Originally posted on Iowa Hawkeyes on SI | By Lane Mills | Last updated Oct 17, 2025 5:00 PM ET

While the Iowa Hawkeyes 17-16 overall finish by the end of last season, including an abysmal 7-13 conference tally, did little to raise expectations in Iowa City, the arrival of a brand new head coach as the result of the previous regime's underwhelming output, similarly, doesn't lower the bar that wasn't previously being met.

The anticipation surrounding HC Ben McCollum's first year as the head Hawkeye, if you will, is dominating the men's basketball program in a way that it hasn't for a long while. Naturally, with the hyped-up nature of such a move and the team's media-centered and aesthetic dedication to the overhaul, expectations have ballooned ahead of the scheduled November tipoff for the 2025 season.

McCollum, in his official media day news conference addressing the media, made his recognition of these expectations known, providing his own insight into the "oohs" and "ahhs" of a breathless, long overdue fanbase.

"And expectations," McCollum started, following a question about his previous tenure as the Drake Bulldogs' HC, "I think that there's a natural expectation that you're just going to go win the Big Ten and it's just going to show up because that's what we did at the Missouri Valley Conference."

"I'm not saying we're not going to compete and I'm not saying we're not going to be there or be good," he continued. "But it is hard to be good, and that's where I think sometimes when you have those distractions, sometimes maybe your guys don't understand, like, no, it's actually supposed to be hard.

While this may sound like tempering the hopefulness of the black and gold faithful, McCollum appears more concerned with eliminating extraneous distractions around his roster as competitive basketball draws near.

"It's supposed to be a struggle, and that's the cool part about being able to win championships. It's not the actual championship itself that's great, but it's the struggle and the fight to be able to get to that level. So you have to avoid some of those distractions to be able to do that," McCollum finished.

Iowa hoops' last B1G title came in 2022 with a victory over Ohio State. Since then, the program's steep decline suggested a needed change of pace, and that seems to have been found in Coach McCollum.

In one of the most competitive basketball conferences in the NCAA, you don't come across championships by hoping for them. McCollum is trying to inspire a culture spurned by the struggle it takes to climb to the top, not the feeling you have when you get there.

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

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