Drake hires new men's basketball coach
Drake University has hired Northwest Missouri State's Ben McCollum as the Bulldogs' next men's basketball coach.
The news comes a week after Darian DeVries left Drake for West Virginia.
“We are thrilled to add Ben and his family to Drake and the Des Moines community,” said Drake Athletics Director Brian Hardin. “Ben understands what it takes to achieve sustained excellence. While his incomparable record of success in competition stands out, in talking with people who know Ben, the positive impact he has on the lives of his student-athletes has left a more indelible mark. We welcome Ben to Des Moines’ Hometown Team and cannot wait for what we will accomplish together.”
McCollum is a Storm Lake, Iowa, native who played his college basketball at Northwest Missouri State. He had a 394-91 record over 15 seasons in Maryville, Missouri, and led the Bearcats to four NCAA Division II national championships (2017, 2019, 2021, 2022).
“I am honored to be a part of the Drake basketball family,” McCollum said. “We have seen the transition Drake basketball has made over the past few seasons to become one of the most successful mid-majors in that span. My family and I are very excited to continue that tradition with the support of the great Des Moines community. I would also like to thank President Martin and Athletics Director Brian Hardin for allowing me the opportunity to continue the success at Drake.”
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“It is my great pleasure to extend a warm welcome to Coach McCollum and his family on behalf of the Drake community,” Drake University President Marty Martin said. “Coach McCollum’s phenomenal success has been grounded in building and sustaining a culture of excellence for his student athletes and his program, and we are all excited for what that means for the future for our men’s basketball team.”
Drake will hold an introductory press conference to mark McCollum's official welcome to Des Moines at 10 a.m. April 9 at the Knapp Center's Schickler Club.
The 48-year-old DeVries compiled a 150-55 record in six seasons and took Drake to the NCAA Tournament three times. He replaced interim Mountaineers coach Josh Eilert, who took over after the messy exit of Hall of Famer Bob Huggins last summer.
DeVries took with him his son, two-time Missouri Valley Player of the Year Tucker DeVries.
This is a developing story. vlog will share more information as it becomes available.
