New Iowa Men's Basketball Head Coach Ben McCollum is picking up the pieces in Iowa City. McCollum joins an Iowa squad that underperformed during the 2024-2025 season. The Hawkeyes finished the season with a 17-16 (7-13 Big Ten) and were bounced in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament.
After failing to advance in the Big Ten Tournament, Iowa did not receive an invite to the NCAA Tournament. A day later, Head Coach Fran McCaffery was fired.
McCollum has been busy rebuilding the roster, adding five transfers from the Drake Bulldogs. He has also rebuilt his coaching staff with three former Drake assistant coaches. Those include Josh Sash, Bryston Willams, and Connor Wheeler.
On Wednesday, McCollum added a big name to his staff.
Welcome to Iowa, @CoachLuke137 🔥#Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/wgHsRp5Y40
— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops) April 9, 2025
Assistant Coach Luke Barnwell has agreed to join McCollum's staff at Iowa.
Before joining the Hawkeyes, Barnwell was an assistant coach for the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Barnwell is credited for being a master recruiter and player developer. He is credited with developing JT Toppin (Big 12 Player of the Year), Darrion Williams, and Chance McMillian.
All three players earned postseason honors.
Before joining the Red Raiders, Barnwell was a successful head coach at basketball powerhouse Sunrise Christian Academy. Barnwell compiled a 178-28 record at SCA and coached multiple Division I players.
Barnwell was named the Naismith High School Boys Coach of the Year in back-to-back seasons (2021, 2022).
In a press release regarding Barnwell's hire, McCollum made this statement:
"He (Barnwell) is an elite recruiter, an excellent coach, and has had a ton of success at the prep level . . .We're excited to have Luke join our program."Ben McCollum, Iowa MBB Head Coach
After adding Barnwell to the staff, McCollum and the Iowa Men's Basketball program pulled off a home run hire. The Hawkeyes' coaching staff is one step closer to being finalized.