IU basketball coaching candidate profile: Ben McCollum

This is the seventh in a series of profiles of potential candidates for Indiana’s open basketball head coaching position.

Candidate: Ben McCollum

Age: 43

Current position, tenure: Drake head coach since 2024

Previous Jobs: Northwest Missouri State head coach 2009-24; Emporia State assistant coach 2005-09

Accomplishments: If IU fans are looking for a Curt Cignetti replica for the men’s basketball program, McCollum is probably the closest comparison in terms of his résumé. He spent 16 years coaching Division II Northwest Missouri State, and when you Google him, you’ll see that he does, in fact, win. McCollum won four Division II national championships at NMSU, hanging banners in 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2022 — essentially winning three in a row, since the 2020 tournament was canceled. He led the Bearcats to an impressive 11 consecutive MIAA conference titles, and they won 12 conference championships in 14 seasons. McCollum compiled a whopping 395-91 overall record at NMSU. And his successful track record has continued on into Division I this season, as he’s led Drake to a regular-season MVC championship with a 27-3 overall record. McCollum also won the conference coach of the year award this week.

Why it might work: Simply put, winning translates, and McCollum is proving it in his first year at Drake. IU AD Scott Dolson placed a heavy emphasis on winning when he hired Cignetti. Many top programs are having success with coaches they hired from mid-majors, like Todd Golden at Florida, Nate Oats at Alabama, and Grant McCasland at Texas Tech, just to name three. Indiana fans would walk over hot coals for any of those three. But those same fans are scarred by the Archie Miller era, which really only demonstrated IU hired the wrong guy. Mid-major hires have worked out well many times. Moreover, McCollum already has wins this year against high-majors Miami (Fla.), Kansas State, and Vanderbilt with a roster made up of several players who transferred with him from D-II.

While there will be reasonable questions about McCollum’s ability to recruit at Indiana, he will likely be more in the mold of a Purdue or Michigan State, with roster continuity and culture serving as the defining hallmarks of his program, rather than an annual complete overhaul. And from an X’s and O’s and overall basketball acumen standpoint, this hire would be a no-brainer. McCollum is highly respected as a basketball mind.

Why it might not work or happen: McCollum is in his first year coaching in Division I. While his Bulldogs are having a great season, he just has very little experience in Division I — and it would be a big step up to go from Drake and the MVC to Indiana and the Big Ten. There are plenty of questions about McCollum, but none are bigger than whether or not he could handle the spotlight that comes with a job like IU. And a component of that is high stakes recruiting. Even if he doesn’t recruit 5-stars, McCollum will have to be able to recruit much better talent to compete in the Big Ten. Does McCollum have the right connections, and does he know how to navigate the modern era of college basketball, that includes agents, NIL, and the transfer portal?

There is also the distinct possibility McCollum would be the top target on the Iowa hot board if Fran McCaffery moves on after this season. McCollum is an Iowa City native. He’s going to get a high-major opportunity sooner than later. However this goes, if they don’t hire him Indiana will look back in McCollum five years from now and know whether they missed out.

Seth Tow and Mike Schumann contributed to this story.

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