The meteoric rise of Ben McCollum was on full display during March Madness just a few months ago. Revered for his work at Northwest Missouri State, winning four national titles in a span of six years, McCollum won 30 games and a Tourney game at Drake before landing at Iowa this past offseason. Surprisingly nobody who knows the coach well, McCollum had an inspiring start with the Hawkeyes as well.
The pieces of the puzzle
Building a team with significant pieces from his squads at Northwest Missouri State and Drake, McCollum made Iowa competitive again in the Big Ten, and despite a 9th place finish in the league he had them ready when it mattered most. The Hawkeyes marched to the Elite Eight for the first time in nearly forty years, putting an insane punctuation mark on his debut season.
Fans in Iowa City will be celebrating that run for months to come, but McCollum and his staff has already turned the page over. Bennett Stirtz starred for him at all three schools but now his career is over after putting up nearly 20 points per game as a senior last season. Fellow star Tavion Banks also ran out of eligbility while Alvaro Folgueiras headed into the transfer portal for another major loss.
What Iowa has that many teams lack in this day and age is significant retention. You can argue that the Hawkeyes don’t exactly have any stars returning and that might be true. Cooper Koch is the top returning scorer from last season and he only put up 7.8 points a night. However, there are five returners who averaged between 5 and 8 points a game and are ready to be more consistent pieces of this system.
Expect more from both Koch and Cam Manyawu anchoring a frontcourt that gets older, especially with the addition of former Saint Mary’s center Andrew McKeever. The 7-footer put up 8.2 points and 9.2 rebounds per game last season and is the biggest pull McCollum’s staff has had from this year’s transfer portal.
They’ll also be working Ty’Reek Coleman into the mix after his impressive work as a double-digit scorer as a freshman at Illinois State. He’ll be a key part of a backcourt that includes returners Kael Combs, Isaia Howard, and Tate Sage, with all but Combs having at least two years of eligibility remaining. The Hawkeyes also welcome a pair of freshman 4-star forwards in Ethan Harris from Washington and Jaidyn Coon from Storm Lake, Iowa.
Wait and see
Transferring from the mid-major level to a power conference doesn’t necessarily mean that the production will follow, but that certainly came true for Stirtz. He was a complete offensive player and will be sorely missed at Iowa, though his absence gives an opportunity for someone else to shine. It’s hard to look at this roster and pinpoint one player who can give you 20 points every night but that’s part of the fun for McCollum and gang.
Without that true star, does Iowa have the talent to be competitive in the Iowa and pull off another postseason run? If history has taught us anything it’s that we can trust that McCollum will find talent and hidden gems and put his team in the best position for success. It’s all about the team and the potential and if you’re a fan of the Hawkeyes it’s understandable to be ecstatic about the future under this leadership.
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