Iowa hires Drake's Ben McCollum as men's basketball coach

The Iowa Hawkeyes have officially hired Ben McCollum as their new men's basketball coach, replacing Fran McCaffery after his dismissal following a disappointing season. McCollum, an Iowa City native, led Drake to a successful 31-4 record in his first season, including a Missouri Valley Conference title and a second-round appearance in the NCAA tournament. His impressive coaching resume includes 15 years at Northwest Missouri State, where he won four national championships and maintained a winning percentage over 80%. Iowa's basketball program aims for improvement after not advancing past the first weekend of the NCAA tournament since 1999. McCollum's success at both the Division I and Division II levels has positioned him as a promising choice to rejuvenate the Hawkeyes' program. Initial reactions indicate optimism about McCollum's ability to enhance recruiting and overall performance at Iowa.