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'Tie Game': How Drake fans are rallying around their new head coach by suiting up

'Tie Game': How Drake fans are rallying around their new head coach by suiting up
TEAM. ARCHER JEFF DUBROF HAS MORE. AFTER THE DEPARTURE OF DARREN DEVRIES, DRAKE FOUND ITSELF AT A CROSSROADS. LOOKING FOR A COACH WHO WOULD BE ABLE TO REPLICATE THE SUCCESS THEY HAD UNDER HEAD COACH BEN MCCULLUM. AND EVER SINCE, HE HAS TAKEN THE REINS. THE TRANSITION HAS BEEN SEAMLESS AND THE FANS ARE NOW RALLYING AROUND THEIR NEW HEAD COACH BY SUITING UP LITERALLY. IN AN ERA WHERE MOST BASKETBALL COACHES WEAR A GOLF, POLO OR A QUARTER ZIP ON THE BENCH, DRAKE HEAD BASKETBALL COACH BEN MCCULLUM STILL DRESSES TO IMPRESS. I ALWAYS FELT A LEVEL OF PROFESSIONALISM WHEN YOU WEAR A SHIRT AND TIE, BUT ADMITTEDLY EVERY DAY I SPEND ABOUT A HALF AN HOUR PICKING OUT THE RIGHT COLOR OF SHIRT AND THE RIGHT COLOR OF TIE AND TRYING TO MATCH THOSE TWO. AND I REALIZED HOW POORLY I WAS ABLE TO MATCH. STYLE HAS NEVER BEEN HIS FORTE. WELL, I’M JUST GOING TO GO WITH WHITE AND THE COLOR OF THE SCHOOL. SO, LIKE HIS PLAYERS ON GAME DAY, IF IT AIN’T BROKE, DON’T FIX IT. YOU KNOW, HE DID THE SAME THING AT NORTHWEST. JUST GREEN TIE INSTEAD OF BLUE. MCCULLUM HAS HIS UNIFORM. IT’S A WHITE DRESS SHIRT AND A BLUE TIE, BUT NO COAT. DON’T LIKE JACKETS. I TRIED BEFORE AND IT COMES OFF 10S IN. AND WITH DRAKE’S SEASON STARTING SO STRONG UNDER THE NEW HEAD COACH, SOMETHING UNEXPECTED HAPPENED. HE WEARS THE SAME THING EVERY GAME. HE DOESN’T CHANGE ANYTHING. AND WE DECIDED A BUNCH OF US WOULD START TO DO THIS. THAT UNIFORM FROM MCCULLUM HAS BECOME THE GO TO LOOK FOR FANS SUPPORTING THE NEW DRAKE COACH BECAUSE HE WEARS A WHITE SHIRT, BLACK PANTS AND A BLUE TIE. NO, YOU WON’T FIND BODY PAINT OR FOAM FINGERS AT DRAKE GAMES THIS YEAR. YOU’LL FIND FANS WEARING A WHITE DRESS SHIRT AND A BLUE TIE. I STARTED JUST THE LAST GAME. THIS IS MY SECOND GAME. YEAH, TWO GAMES AGO. FROM FANS WHO ARE EXPERIENCED IN FORMAL ATTIRE. THAT’S A BAD NOT. THIS IS A GOOD NIGHT. WAIT A MINUTE. I GOT A GOOD KNOT. I LIKE MY KNOT. TO THOSE WHO MIGHT BE USING A CLIP ON. WHAT ARE YOU WEARING RIGHT HERE? WHAT ARE YOU WEARING? COACH MCCULLUM, STUFF. IT HAS BECOME A RALLYING CRY BECAUSE IT’S FUNNY. A BADGE OF HONOR. MY WIFE SAID IT STILL LOOKS STUPID, BUT I THOUGHT I’D BRING IT ANYWAY. AND FOR THOSE WHO MAY NOT HAVE THE PROPER ATTIRE, THE BOOKSTORE’S GOT YOU COVERED. A COUPLE OF FANS CAME UP TO ME. THEY CAME AT ONE OF THE GAMES AND SAID, HEY, THIS WOULD BE A FUN LITTLE THING. GETTING IN ON THE FUN WITH THEIR OWN VERSION OF MCCULLUM’S SIGNATURE LOOK. THIS IS JUST SOME FUN LITTLE THING OF OF BEING WITH THE SCHOOL AND WHATNOT. AND YOU KNOW, YOU’VE SEEN. STAFF LIKE IT, COACHES LIKE IT. IT’S NEVER REALLY BEEN A THING. AND THEN IT JUST STARTED TO BE KIND OF ENTERTAINING, I THINK. I DON’T PAY ATTENTION A TON TO SOCIAL MEDIA OUTSIDE OF LIKE I’VE SAID BEFORE, WHEN PEOPLE SEND THINGS TO ME AND I’M LIKE, THAT’S, THAT’S PRETTY, PRETTY SMART. THAT’S PRETTY GOOD. AND ONE THAT MEANS FAR MORE THAN IT MIGHT APPEAR. I THINK IT’S A GOOD THING BECAUSE IT DOES KIND OF CONNECT THE FANS WITH OUR PROGRAM HERE. FOR A NEW COACH WHO’S ALWAYS TRYING TO WIN FOR THE FAN BASE THAT HAS RALLIED AROUND HIM, BUT IN THIS CASE, HE APPRECIATES EVERY TIME.
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'Tie Game': How Drake fans are rallying around their new head coach by suiting up
In a world where basketball coaches have turned to wearing golf polos or quarter-zip sweaters on the bench during games, Drake men's basketball coach Ben McCollum still makes sure to dress to impress."I have always found a certain sense of professionalism when you wear a shirt and tie," McCollum said. While the formal look remains important to the head coach, style has never been his skill. "I would always spend a lot of time choosing between a shirt and a tie and hoping they match," he said. "They would always be poorly matched."So what came from this, is his signature look. On game days, McCollum wears a white dress shirt and a tie that is the color of the school. While acting as the head coach at Northwest Missouri State, the tie was green. Now as the head coach at Drake, the tie is blue. Drake's season has been nothing short of fantastic. The Bulldogs were one of four teams in the entire country that remained unbeaten, and they were the first team to reach 20 wins on the season. As the success of the team that McCollum was building grew, a fun trend started to develop. Fans slowly but surely started attending games wearing a white shirt and a blue tie."He wears the same thing every single game, and he doesn't change a thing," Larry Stelter, a Drake fan, said. "So we decided to start doing the same thing."You won't find body paint or foam fingers at Drake games this season. You'll find an army of fans wearing a white dress shirt and a blue tie. And for fans who do not have the proper attire or perhaps are not looking to fully suit up for the games, the bookstore has you covered. Fans can buy a white shirt that has the image of a blue tie painted on the front of it."I had a lot of fans telling me this would be a great idea," Kyle McVay, the head of the Drake Bookstore, said.It has become a symbol, a rallying cry and a badge of honor for fans who are supporting their new basketball coach, who is taking the program to new heights. » Subscribe to vlog's YouTube page» Download the free vlog app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play

In a world where basketball coaches have turned to wearing golf polos or quarter-zip sweaters on the bench during games, Drake men's basketball coach Ben McCollum still makes sure to dress to impress.

"I have always found a certain sense of professionalism when you wear a shirt and tie," McCollum said.

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While the formal look remains important to the head coach, style has never been his skill.

"I would always spend a lot of time choosing between a shirt and a tie and hoping they match," he said. "They would always be poorly matched."

So what came from this, is his signature look. On game days, McCollum wears a white dress shirt and a tie that is the color of the school. While acting as the head coach at Northwest Missouri State, the tie was green. Now as the head coach at Drake, the tie is blue.

Drake's season has been nothing short of fantastic. The Bulldogs were one of four teams in the entire country that remained unbeaten, and they were the first team to reach 20 wins on the season. As the success of the team that McCollum was building grew, a fun trend started to develop. Fans slowly but surely started attending games wearing a white shirt and a blue tie.

"He wears the same thing every single game, and he doesn't change a thing," Larry Stelter, a Drake fan, said. "So we decided to start doing the same thing."

CHARLESTON, SC - NOVEMBER 22: Head coach Ben McCollum of the Drake Bulldogs looks on during the Shriners Children&apos&#x3B;s Charleston Classic college basketball game against the Florida Atlantic Owls at TD Arena on November 22, 2024 in Charleston, South Carolina. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
Mitchell Layton
Head coach Ben McCollum of the Drake Bulldogs looks on during the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic college basketball game against the Florida Atlantic Owls at TD Arena on November 22, 2024 in Charleston, South Carolina. 

You won't find body paint or foam fingers at Drake games this season. You'll find an army of fans wearing a white dress shirt and a blue tie.

And for fans who do not have the proper attire or perhaps are not looking to fully suit up for the games, the bookstore has you covered. Fans can buy a white shirt that has the image of a blue tie painted on the front of it.

"I had a lot of fans telling me this would be a great idea," Kyle McVay, the head of the Drake Bookstore, said.

It has become a symbol, a rallying cry and a badge of honor for fans who are supporting their new basketball coach, who is taking the program to new heights.

»

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