Drake hires McCollum to replace DeVries
MBB: The new Drake head coach won four Division II national championships
Drake announced the hiring of Ben McCollum as their new men’s basketball coach on Monday.
McCollum has been the head coach at Division II Northwest Missouri State for the last 15 seasons, where he racked up an incredible record of 394-91. Outside of the COVID season of 2019-2020, McCollum led Northwest Missouri State to the Division II national tournament in 11 of 14 years. The Bearcats would win the national championship in 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2022.
"We are thrilled to add Ben and his family to Drake and the Des Moines community," Drake Athletics Director Brian Hardin said in a statement. "Ben understands what it takes to achieve sustained excellence. While his incomparable record of success in competition stands out, in talking with people who know Ben, the positive impact he has on the lives of his student-athletes has left a more indelible mark. We welcome Ben to Des Moines' Hometown Team and cannot wait for what we will accomplish together."
McCollum takes over for Darian DeVries who took the head coaching job at West Virginia eight days ago. DeVries averaged 25 wins a year in his six seasons at Drake, as he led the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament in three of the last four seasons.