Ben McCollum isn’t waiting around for next season to start acting like it matters.
With Iowa coming off a wild first year under his watch, McCollum jumped onto Jon Rothstein’s “Inside College Basketball” and gave fans a clear look at where the program stands heading into year two. The Hawkeyes are already deep into summer work, the expectations are bigger, and McCollum sounds every bit like a coach who believes the hard part is just beginning.
One of the biggest takeaways from the conversation was McCollum’s confidence in last season’s NCAA Tournament run. Iowa entered the bracket as a nine-seed and then turned into one of the tournament’s biggest surprises, even after a rough finish to the regular season and the Big Ten Tournament. McCollum said he never lost faith in what the group could do.
“I knew our process was right, we just weren't finishing games...Given the right matchups, I thought we could make a run in the NCAA Tournament.”
When Rothstein pressed him on why the Hawkeyes looked so different in March than they did earlier in the year, McCollum pointed to the way his team handled each game. In the tournament, he said, they were better at “grip”ing each matchup on its own and treating every night like a do-or-die situation. That mindset showed up in a big way, especially in the upset of No. 1 seed Florida.
McCollum also made it clear that Iowa’s non-conference schedule is about more than just taking on heavyweights. The Hawkeyes are lined up for Alabama, Creighton, Iowa State, and Virginia Tech, but McCollum said there’s a bigger reason behind the way those games were arranged. He pointed to fan access and the chance to bring more people into the mix.
“Why don't we make sure we can get as many of our fans to games as possible and just play at neutral sites close to the state of Iowa or in the state of Iowa?”
He added that it would have been even better if more Iowa fans had been able to show up for the trip to California last season. Since arriving on campus, McCollum has kept stressing that fan support matters, and he said the program made a real effort to put games closer to home. All of those non-conference games are scheduled within the state, with most set for the Casey's Center in Des Moines.
The third big note from McCollum centered on Cooper Koch, and the coach sounded especially encouraged by what he’s seen this summer. Koch’s path has already had some twists.
After redshirting his true freshman season, he entered the transfer portal following Fran McCaffery’s firing before McCollum brought him back to Iowa City. Last season, Koch became a key piece for the Hawkeyes, starting every game and giving them steady three-point shooting and perimeter defense.
Now, McCollum says Koch has taken another step.
“His summer has been awesome. His conditioning, his leadership, he wins or finishes in the top couple of every sprint.”
That kind of progress matters for Iowa, especially with Koch heading into his third season in the program. He was already important during the Elite Eight run, and McCollum’s comments suggest the Hawkeyes are expecting even more from him this time around.
McCollum may still have months to go before the season tips off, but he’s already talking like a coach who knows exactly what he wants from this team.
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