IOWA CITY, Iowa (KWQC) – The Ben McCollum era has officially begun for Iowa Men’s Basketball.
McCollum loaded this team with talent. He brought six players with him from Drake and only two players remain from last season’s roster.
McCollum says he wants his team to have a chip on their shoulder in order to compete in Big 10 play.
“Understanding that I’ve always worked better with the chip on my shoulder, you know, like either doubted or whatever, and same with those guys,” said McCollum. “So making sure that we continue to have that edge and don’t have a sense of arrival more so than anybody in the league. That’s what we’re going to need to have to be able to be successful in the Big 10.”
McCollum brought those six players with him from Drake but the culture he wants to instill hasn’t changed.
“He not only cares about how you are as a player on the court, but what type of person you are off the court,” said Kael Combs, Iowa Junior and transfer from Drake. “The biggest thing for me is he’s kind of like how you do anything is how you do everything, and I really like that. Just making me a better person, whether it comes to academics or just as a brother.”
“He’s gonna get on you,” said Bennet Stirtz, Iowa Senior and transfer from Drake. “Sometimes he’s gonna pick and yell at you sometimes, and that means he cares about you. You might be mad at him sometimes, like I am most of the time, but he really cares about you, making you a better person off the court.”
“He’s a very energetic coach, very passionate,” said Cam Manyawu. Iowa Junior and transfer from Drake. “He’s a very outgoing person, and when it comes to, you know, practice, and when we have to lock in, and he has to get on us, he can do that as well, and he’s really good about that. So he holds us to a very high standard, and he tells us if he’s not coaching us, that means he’s not showing his love for us.”
Those who weren’t coached by McCollum previously couldn’t agree more.
“It’s been awesome,” said Cooper Koch, Iowa Redshirt Freshman. “He’s been a great role model for us, and then a great coach, as well, being able to show us how it’s like in his program, and then just being able to learn from that.”
We will get to see how all of these new pieces come together on November 4th when Iowa takes on Robert Morris in Carver Hawkeye Arena. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
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