IOWA CITY - Iowa men’s basketball left Big Ten Basketball Media Days with a few clear themes, and they all point back to the same question: what does Year Two under McCollum look like after last season’s run to the Elite Eight?
The Hawkeyes were picked 10th in the conference’s preseason poll, but the program is still carrying the momentum of its first Elite Eight appearance since 1987. Now the challenge is turning that breakthrough into something more repeatable, and McCollum said the biggest piece of that puzzle is getting his team to function for all 40 minutes.
That was easier to manage last season when Bennett Stirtz could take over late and settle things down. With Stirtz now off in the NBA, Iowa is leaning into a different formula.
“I think it's going to be more of a group effort, because last year, you knew that Bennett would have the ball in his hands a lot," Iowa guard Combs said during media interviews. "It'll be four or five guys in double figures as opposed to one or two. We'll still run a lot of ball screens this year, but we'll rely on our wings a lot also."
Combs is expected to take on point guard duties this season, but McCollum made it clear that the ball won’t live with just one player. Depending on the lineup, several Hawkeyes will be asked to initiate offense and keep things moving.
A big part of that flexibility comes from the arrival of Andrew McKeever, the Saint Mary’s transfer who stands 7-foot-3 and is the tallest player in the Big Ten. McCollum wanted size, and he got it.
"I think it helps your ceiling as much as anything else because you can compete against some of the bigger teams in the league,” McCollum said, “and you don't have to double as much, (or put) so much attention on the post and certain things.”
McKeever’s role goes beyond simply occupying space. McCollum wants him to be a passer as well as a rim protector, which fits the way Iowa wants to play. He is still getting up to speed defensively, but the offensive fit is obvious.
"He sets really good screens and is able to put pressure on the rim with him rolling,” Combs said. “He's a smart player, too, so catching at the elbow and being able to make plays, whether it's passing or getting to the next action, so besides the size, I think he does have a really good IQ and understands where he needs to be at and how he can help us."
McKeever’s addition also lets Cam Manyawu slide to the four, giving Iowa another lineup option on both ends of the floor.
McCollum’s rise in his first season brought plenty of national attention, including an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show during ESPN’s College GameDay visit to Iowa City on Oct. 2. Even with coaching carousel noise swirling, he never wavered on staying put.
“As we've always said, we're pretty excited about the University of Iowa and what we can do,” McCollum said. “It really fits who I am as a coach because I can recruit the kids who I want to recruit."
He grew up in Iowa, has spoken often about wanting to push the program onto a bigger stage, and signed a contract extension through 2032 this offseason. Iowa also managed to keep 10 players from last year’s Elite Eight team.
Now the job is to keep the Hawkeyes in the national picture and chase another deep March run. McCollum also said he takes seriously what it means to represent the state.
“You always have to be a representative to serve the state of Iowa and everybody surrounding it,” He said. “I take a lot of pride in that, whether it's just simply micro interactions of shaking hands when you see them, making sure you try to make other people's days better, consistently, or the more macro things of getting more guys that they can be proud of and putting a good product out there.”
Iowa opens the season Nov. 3 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena against Lipscomb.
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