Ben McCollum has consistently tabbed Steve Tappmeyer as the best coach he’s ever been around. McCollum played at Northwest Missouri State under Tappmeyer from 2001 to 2003. There, he learned what “first-place culture” feels like.
McCollum detailed what that entails to Iowa realtor Gary Watts during a December 2025 appearance on the Watts Happening Podcast: extreme work ethic, competitive edge, and energy givers. Those are all intangible traits that can’t be taught; either you have it, or you don’t.
Since his playing days, McCollum has developed his version of a first-place culture. He avoids moody, self-centered players. Respect is earned, not given. Relationship-building is the key to brutally honest coaching. Stay away from energy vampires.
Many more lessons have been woven into his winning mentality, which the world witnessed firsthand during Iowa men’s basketball’s magical 2026 NCAA Tournament run.
“When you have people that respect you, naturally, what you give is what you get back,” Iowa men’s basketball director of player development Xavier Kurth said. “And as honest as he’s been with us, in return, he gets a lot of loyalty, and he gets the best out of everybody.”
McCollum was only 27 years old when he succeeded Tappmeyer as the Bearcats’ head coach in 2009. By 28, he told his mom, Mary Timko, he was going to quit coaching.
His squad just came off a 15-point loss to 1-6 Truman State despite what he believed was a solid game plan. There was a clear disconnect between him and the players.
Timko asked her son to tell her what he said to his team in the same manner. McCollum replied, “Stop! Stop playing so frustrated.” At that moment, he realized the negative energy he was coaching with and the change that was needed to turn things around.
After the 2010-11 season, Northwest Missouri State went on to win or tie for 12 of the next 13 regular-season titles — the 2012-13 season being the outlier — including seven straight outright titles during the rest of his tenure.
A lot of what McCollum preaches today stems from those first couple of seasons with the Bearcats, where he “hit rock bottom.”
“The lesson I learned is, be the change you want to see in others,” McCollum said during media availability ahead of Iowa’s Elite Eight matchup with Illinois on March 27. “If you want changes, change yourself first.”
One of the lessons taught in McCollum’s favorite book, Good to Great by Jim Collins, is the Stockdale Paradox, named after U.S. Navy admiral James Stockdale, who was held prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. The ones who survived the imprisonment were those who accepted the harsh reality of the situation while holding the belief they’d make it through at some point.
This is the approach McCollum adopted this season.
He and his staff knew the odds were stacked against the Iowa men’s basketball team. A team full of mid-major experience playing in what turned out to be the most competitive conference in all of college basketball. How well could the team adjust? And how fast?
The process was accelerated in terms of continuity within the Big Ten’s newest group. McCollum brought an army with him from Drake — five players, one incoming high school recruit, several assistant coaches, and many other moving parts to what made his lone year in Des Moines so successful.
But at the same time, there was no internal expectation with wins and losses, only to establish a culture. To do that, they needed to hit on the right players. That goal was clearly checked off.
“It’s no different with the jump to mid-major, or to the Big Ten or Power Five,” Kurth said. “It’s the fact that you have a lot of people that believe in a common goal, and you fight for the common goal, and it has nothing to do with results.”
A select few people followed him from his Northwest Missouri State days, Kurth being one of them. He played under McCollum from 2014-18, then was offered a graduate assistant spot right out of college. When the offer came through, Kurth was finishing his degree while working at Liberty High School alongside gym teacher and basketball coach Roger Stirtz.
Roger’s son was a then-15-year-old boy named Bennett Stirtz.
Stirtz was another follower of McCollum from the Division II level. The Bearcats were one of two offers coming out of high school for him. Now, he’s a potential 2026 first-round NBA Draft pick thanks to McCollum bringing him along the last few years.
The star guard was always comfortable throughout high school, and McCollum was the first person to ever push him outside that comfort zone. So when the head coach took what he called a “leap of faith” in going to Drake and then to Iowa, Stirtz jumped with him.
“The discipline and everything sucks in the moment, but it makes you stronger mentally, physically, emotionally,” Stirtz said at media availability ahead of Iowa’s Elite Eight matchup with Illinois on March 27. “It makes you think that you can accomplish anything.”
He doubled down on his statement the next night after the season-ending loss.
“He made me into a better man and made me into the person that I am today,” Stirtz said. “These four years have been the best four years of my life.”
Ask him what his favorite McCollum trait is, and he’ll tell you that it’s his brutal honesty. Tavion Banks will say the same thing, too. The senior forward had his fair share of on- and off-court struggles, being benched and disciplined a few times throughout this season. Not once did he cave.
Banks has one potential year of eligibility left. He left no room for debate on where he’ll play next year if he retains it.
“I just took a leap of faith with [McCollum]. That’s how he got me here,” Banks said after the loss to Illinois on March 28. “Look at me, I made it to the Elite Eight. I just believe in him. Only time will tell.”
When asked why his confidence in McCollum was so high, Banks noted the relationship the two have built and how a big part of that was his head coach’s ability to “not sugarcoat anything.” Again, honesty. The picture gets clearer the more those affiliated with the team talk about him.
McCollum is a top-notch game-prepper, an elite late-night crammer. He demands excellence and humbleness. He’s as good a relationship-builder as any coach. He’s the most intense guy on any sideline he stands on. He wants to leave a lasting impact on anything he touches. His will to win is superior.
More than anything, he’s honest — brutally honest with himself and everyone around him. That, of all things, has led to great success in all aspects of his life.
“If you’re a tough dude, this is a good spot for you. If you’re soft, and you like yourself way too much, this is probably not the spot for you,” McCollum said after Iowa’s upset win over No. 1 Florida on March 22. “We just try to recruit tough dudes who want to be a part of something bigger than themselves, and hopefully people see that, win or lose.”
