Ben McCollum is doing things in his first season that we have not seen since the legendary Tom Davis was head coach of the Hawkeyes.
McCollum is second in wins by a head coach in their first season in Iowa history (22 and counting), and already notched a win in the NCAA Tournament, something the program hasn't seen since the 2020-2021 season.
With the win, McCollum is four Tournament wins away from surpassing his predecessor, Fran McCaffery, and he is immediately proving why Iowa made the right move when they fired McCaffery and brought him to Iowa City.
Iowa made the right move replacing Fran with Ben McCollum
Most of Fran's former players will defend his coaching methods and how much he meant to them and the program, but there is no denying that McCollum's trajectory was already higher than his.
In his first season, McCaffery tallied a mere 11 wins, and he didn't make the NCAA Tournament until his fourth season.
In 15 seasons, McCaffery recorded only four NCAA Tournament wins and couldn't get further than the Round of 32.
In his first season as head coach at Iowa, McCollum has 22 wins and counting, and has already made an NCAA Tournament with a win under his belt.
McCollum's success goes way beyond the numbers
Purely based on numbers, McCollum projects to have a better career at Iowa if he stays with the program long enough, but his impact in his first season goes beyond the numbers.
Since day one, McCollum has been active in the Iowa City community to "make Iowa proud," and he has been adamant that the program's success depends on support from the city and the fans.
In his final few seasons, McCaffery seemed to push fans away and sour the relationship between the program and its supporters.
McCollum has also instilled a new work ethic and placed importance on strength and conditioning, something that often went by the wayside under McCaffery.
Regardless of how you look at it, Beth Goetz and the athletic department made the right hire, and McCollum proves that every game.