Ben McCollum can count the names on his hands.
B.J. Armstrong. Wade Lookingbill. Val Barnes. Mon’Ter Glasper. Acie Earl. Chris Street. It doesn’t matter if they were role players, starters, stars, or future NBA players. One statistic was the same: all wore the Black and Gold.
For a young McCollum growing up in Storm Lake, Iowa, these players were more than Hawkeyes. They were his heroes.
“Some of these former players, they were my idols growing up,” McCollum said. “The NBA I didn’t watch. I watched the Iowa Hawkeyes. Those are my guys.”
“He can list almost every Hawkeye starter for the last three-plus decades,” Iowa athletics director Beth Goetz added.
McCollum dreamed of one day playing inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena, of becoming one of the names he rattles off at the top of his head. His brain is an encyclopedia of Hawkeye men’s hoops, and he just hoped to be a footnote. Now at 43 years old, he’s the start of a new chapter.
McCollum’s tenure as the 24th head coach in program history received an official coronation Tuesday afternoon with his introductory press conference. Sporting a black blazer over his customary white collared shirt and tie, McCollum presented himself as professional, but never abandoned the casual ethos of his Midwest upbringing. Eschewing a formal greeting, McCollum opened at the podium with a compliment.
“Love the ties. Look great,” he said, gesturing at the group of Hawkeye cheerleaders donning gold ties. “You wear those for games? Good.”
He was kidding. Mostly.
Born and raised in the Hawkeye State, McCollum’s passion for all things Black and Gold shined as bright as the “Hawkeye Hustler” medal he won at an Iowa basketball summer camp as a boy. He said he still has the hardware, stored away as evidence of who he is.
“I was never allowed to be a victim,” McCollum said. “You would always try to control your own circumstances, and you’d always have to fight.”
A lifelong fan, McCollum has championship aspirations for the program he grew up rooting for, a relentless ambition to return it to its past glories. He envisions banners in the rafters, but also fans in the seats: a common sight back in McCollum’s childhood. He remembers thousands of fans on their feet, watching in awe as Street flew across the hardwood, the headline of Dr. Tom Davis’ stifling press.
Now a grown-up McCollum will notice seas of empty seats. Iowa has experienced declining attendance numbers in recent years before falling further this past season with an average of 5,045 tickets scanned for home games. McCollum has no intention of roaming the sidelines with Carver at one-third capacity.
“Our goal is to get Carver-Hawkeye Arena filled back up, where other fans want to come and to be the best venue in the state of Iowa,” he said. ‘We’re going to fight for that.”
McCollum already started his efforts to reenergize the fan base. He thanked the Iowa students and cheerleaders in attendance for his press conference, adding that clapping was the bare minimum for what he expects to be a raucous environment.
“We gotta stand up, we gotta get it lit. We gotta make sure we do that at games in Carver,” he said.
Pumping up hype is one way for McCollum to connect with students and younger crowds, but the coach born in Iowa City knows how to spark community connection. He explained summer trips to the grocery store will likely feature impromptu meet-and-greets with fans. McCollum welcomes the conversations, as he understands the culture.
“What do they say, ‘Iowa nice?’ McCollum said with a grin. “It’s God’s country, as we say. So just do little things like that and it goes a long way.”