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A longtime fan, Ben McCollum aims to restore winning at Iowa

A longtime fan, Ben McCollum aims to restore winning at Iowa
IN NOVEMBER. NOW BACK TO THE BIG NEWS OUT OF IOWA CITY. BEN MCCULLUM WAS OFFICIALLY INTRODUCED AS IOWA’S NEW MEN’S BASKETBALL COACH. A BIG DAY FOR HAWKEYE FANS. vlog BEAU BOWMAN HAS BEEN HANGING OUT WITH THE HAWKEYE FANS ALL DAY AND BO THEY ARE PUMPED FOR WHAT IS TO COME. OH YEAH. LAURA A LOT OF THEM LINING UP OUTSIDE OF CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA WEARING THEIR NEW FAN UNIFORM. YEAH, AND TO WELCOME IN THEIR NEW COACH TO CARVER. IOWA STUDENTS TOOK PART IN A NEW CLASS ON CAMPUS. ONE UNDER. THEN YOU CREATE THIS LITTLE GAP TYING A TIE ONE ON ONE. I LEARNED TO TIE A TIE ABOUT FIVE MINUTES AGO. MINE’S A LITTLE BIT SHORT, BUT I GOT THE DIMPLE PRETTY GOOD. SO I’M PROUD OF MY TIE. IT’S A WARM WELCOME FOR THEIR NEW HEAD MEN’S BASKETBALL COACH, BEN MCCULLUM. HE’S ALREADY WON MORE TOURNAMENT GAMES THAN NEBRASKA EVER HAS, SO THAT’S ALREADY A GOOD START AND I’M EXCITED FOR HIM TO WIN A LOT MORE HERE, HOPEFULLY. MCCULLUM WAS BORN IN IOWA CITY IN 1981. HIS MOTHER RECEIVED HER BACHELOR’S, MASTER’S AND LAW DEGREE, ALL FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA. YOU NEEDED TO TAKE A JOB THAT YOU CAN WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS AND COMPETE FOR THEM ON A CONSISTENT LEVEL. BETH GOETZ HAS GIVEN ME THAT OPPORTUNITY AND GIVEN RESOURCES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN DO JUST THAT. SOMETHING THAT MAKES THIS HOMECOMING SO SPECIAL. AFTER TWO DISAPPOINTING SEASONS OF THE HAWKEYES MISSING OUT ON THE BIG DANCE, FANS ARE EXCITED FOR SOME NEW LIFE AND SOME NEW ENERGY IN THE PROGRAM. ON A SCALE OF 1 TO 10, I’M PROBABLY AT ABOUT A 20 TO 25. WE BOTH WATCHED SOME DRAKE GAMES IN THE PAST. MY FAMILY’S BIG DRAKE FANS, AND WE’RE BOTH IOWA FANS FIRST, AND IT’S SUPER EXCITING TO SEE HIM HERE. AND DON’T WORRY ABOUT THE TIES. THEY PROMISE ME THEY’LL GET BETTER. THAT’S ALL I WANT TO DO OUT HERE IS JUST MAKE COACH MCCULLUM PROUD. I HOPE HE IS PROUD OF MY TIE TYING TECHNIQUES AND I AM GLAD I DID IT UNDER PRESSURE. THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN REALLY EMBARRASSING. I’M NOT GONNA LIE. COACH MCCULLUM SAYS THE SHIRT AND TIE THING STARTED OUT AS A WAY TO JUST LOOK PROFESSIONAL OUT ON THE BASKETBALL COURT, BUT NOW IT’S KIND OF TURNED IN TO MORE OF A SUPERSTITION, MAYBE EVEN CALL IT A TRADITION. THERE’S NO DOUBT YOU’RE GOING TO SEE A LOT OF THAT HERE AT CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA THIS UPCOMING SEASON. WE’RE LIVE IN IOWA CITY.
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A longtime fan, Ben McCollum aims to restore winning at Iowa
Ben McCollum grew up a fan of the Iowa men's basketball team. Now, he's coaching the Hawkeyes.McCollum was introduced as Iowa's new head coach on Tuesday, a day after his hiring was announced by the university.The Iowa native, born in Iowa City and raised in Storm Lake, replaces Fran McCaffery, the program's all-time winningest coach fired at the end of the regular season after missing the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive year.McCollum mentioned McCaffery, as well as other former Iowa coaches like Lute Olson, George Raveling and Tom Davis, and credited them with building the program."Hopefully it's in great hands right now, that we can bring championships to the University of Iowa," McCollum said.McCollum comes to Iowa after leading Drake to a 31-4 record that included the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament championships in his one season there. The Bulldogs reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament, losing to Texas Tech in the second round on Saturday.A day later, McCollum was in discussions with Iowa athletics director Beth Goetz about taking over the Hawkeyes.McCollum has "an exceptional mind for the game," Goetz said. "Ben has roots here. And to be sure, that's a special part of the story, but not why I thought Ben was a perfect leader for this program. Coach is a proven winner."McCollum has a 426-95 record in his 16 years as a college head coach. He won four NCAA Division II national championships at Northwest Missouri State — winning at least 21 games in each of his last 13 years there — before going to Drake at the end of last season.McCollum now takes over an Iowa program that went 17-16 this season and finished in a tie for 12th in the Big Ten at 7-13."I always felt like you needed to take a job where you can win championships and compete with them on a consistent level," McCollum said. "Beth Goetz has given me the opportunity, and given me the resources to make sure we can do just that."McCollum was greeted outside of Carver-Hawkeye Arena by Iowa cheerleaders and approximately 75 students wearing white shirts and gold ties, playing off the look of white shirts and blue ties that McCollum wore while coaching at Drake.One of McCollum's biggest tasks will be trying to restore interest in the men's basketball program. Iowa's average attendance in the 14,988-seat Carver-Hawkeye Arena was 9.161, but there were times, especially during nonconference play, when the arena wasn't even half full."That's our goal, to get Carver-Hawkeye filled back up," McCollum said. "To create an environment where other fans want to come, and to be the best venue in the state of Iowa. We're going to fight for that, we're going to compete for that. We've done that at other schools, and we're going to do that here."McCollum will have to rebuild a roster that became mostly empty after McCaffery's firing. Seven players are in the NCAA's transfer portal, including leading scorer and rebounder Owen Freeman and guard Josh Dix, who was third on the team in scoring. McCollum said he would try to lure as many of those players back as possible."Tough kids win," McCollum said when asked about what he learned from having to rebuild Drake's roster last offseason. "Connected groups win. Kids that work with a level of humility win. That hasn't changed. So with the portal, you have to make sure you have to identify those intangibles. The physical gifts are pretty easy to identify."The program McCollum grew up watching is now his to lead."I'll make sure to not take this for granted," he said. "I'm going to fight for Iowa, and we're going to get this thing going again."» Subscribe to vlog's YouTube page» Download the free vlog app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play

Ben McCollum grew up a fan of the Iowa men's basketball team. Now, he's coaching the Hawkeyes.

McCollum was introduced as Iowa's new head coach on Tuesday, a day after his hiring was announced by the university.

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The Iowa native, born in Iowa City and raised in Storm Lake, replaces Fran McCaffery, the program's all-time winningest coach fired at the end of the regular season after missing the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive year.

McCollum mentioned McCaffery, as well as other former Iowa coaches like Lute Olson, George Raveling and Tom Davis, and credited them with building the program.

"Hopefully it's in great hands right now, that we can bring championships to the University of Iowa," McCollum said.

McCollum comes to Iowa after leading Drake to a 31-4 record that included the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament championships in his one season there. The Bulldogs reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament, losing to Texas Tech in the second round on Saturday.

A day later, McCollum was in discussions with Iowa athletics director Beth Goetz about taking over the Hawkeyes.

McCollum has "an exceptional mind for the game," Goetz said. "Ben has roots here. And to be sure, that's a special part of the story, but not why I thought Ben was a perfect leader for this program. Coach is a proven winner."

McCollum has a 426-95 record in his 16 years as a college head coach. He won four NCAA Division II national championships at Northwest Missouri State — winning at least 21 games in each of his last 13 years there — before going to Drake at the end of last season.

McCollum now takes over an Iowa program that went 17-16 this season and finished in a tie for 12th in the Big Ten at 7-13.

"I always felt like you needed to take a job where you can win championships and compete with them on a consistent level," McCollum said. "Beth Goetz has given me the opportunity, and given me the resources to make sure we can do just that."

McCollum was greeted outside of Carver-Hawkeye Arena by Iowa cheerleaders and approximately 75 students wearing white shirts and gold ties, playing off the look of white shirts and blue ties that McCollum wore while coaching at Drake.

One of McCollum's biggest tasks will be trying to restore interest in the men's basketball program. Iowa's average attendance in the 14,988-seat Carver-Hawkeye Arena was 9.161, but there were times, especially during nonconference play, when the arena wasn't even half full.

"That's our goal, to get Carver-Hawkeye filled back up," McCollum said. "To create an environment where other fans want to come, and to be the best venue in the state of Iowa. We're going to fight for that, we're going to compete for that. We've done that at other schools, and we're going to do that here."

McCollum will have to rebuild a roster that became mostly empty after McCaffery's firing. Seven players are in the NCAA's transfer portal, including leading scorer and rebounder Owen Freeman and guard Josh Dix, who was third on the team in scoring. McCollum said he would try to lure as many of those players back as possible.

"Tough kids win," McCollum said when asked about what he learned from having to rebuild Drake's roster last offseason. "Connected groups win. Kids that work with a level of humility win. That hasn't changed. So with the portal, you have to make sure you have to identify those intangibles. The physical gifts are pretty easy to identify."

The program McCollum grew up watching is now his to lead.

"I'll make sure to not take this for granted," he said. "I'm going to fight for Iowa, and we're going to get this thing going again."

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