Initial Iowa basketball head coach candidates list

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Iowa men’s basketball is in the midst of a seismic change. The Hawkeyes have fired head coach Fran McCaffery after 15 years leading the program. The door has swung wide open for an intriguing Power Four opportunity and will surely see a long list of names tied to it.

The Iowa Hawkeyes have due diligence to do and athletic director Beth Goetz has almost surely pulled together a list of candidates that the program is eyeing, but until the hiring is made, that list won’t be known.

As the dust still settles, check out a list of potential head coach candidates for Iowa.

Darian DeVries, West Virginia

Darian DeVries hails from Aplington, Iowa. DeVries knows Iowa. He played at Northern Iowa and was the coach at Drake from 2018 to 2024. He knows the recruiting landscape, and he knows how to win games.

In his career, DeVries is 163-62. He was 150-55 at Drake while leading them to the NCAA Tournament three times from 2020 to 2024. He is in his first season at West Virginia.

Ben McCollum, Drake

Another Iowa native, and this one is even closer to home. Ben McCollum is from Iowa City, Iowa. He knows the Hawkeyes and has spent his life in the state. After playing high school basketball in Iowa, he played at North Iowa Area Community College before going to Northwest Missouri State.

He amassed a 395-91 record and won four NCAA Division II titles. He is in his first year with Drake and has the Bulldogs out to a 15-2 start and dreams of the NCAA Tournament.

Ben McCollum is in Year 1 of a five-year deal with Drake that he signed in April 2024 should Iowa try to pry him away.

Chris Collins, Northwestern

Collins could be lured to Iowa if it could offer the proper contract and name, image, and likeness licensing assurances.

The former Duke Blue Devils star spent time as an assistant under Coach K at Duke (2000-2013) before taking over the head role at Northwestern in 2013. What Collins has done at Northwestern is nothing short of impressive.

He has taken the Wildcats to the tournament three times and won a…

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Publish date : 2025-03-14 19:36:00

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