The search for the next head basketball coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels is underway, and there have already been plenty of names thrown around.
The name mentioned most right now is Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd, and rightfully so. He led the Wildcats back to the Final Four for the first time since 2001. Considering his success, along with the fact that he was the top assistant for Roy Williams’ longtime friend Mark Few at Gonzaga, many believe he is the surefire top candidate for UNC.
However, there is another coach whose team was still alive going into Saturday: Iowa’s Ben McCollum.
Ben McCollum’s prior experience
Interestingly enough, McCollum was coaching at the Division II level at Northwest Missouri State just two seasons ago. He was the conductor of a well-oiled machine that ran through everything in its path.
McCollum led the Bearcats to a 395-91 record from 2009 to 2024, winning four national titles and 20 conference titles (12 regular-season, eight tournament), and he had a 32-7 record in the postseason. His 2018-19 national championship squad went 38-0.
In 2024, he took his coaching talents to the Division I level at Drake. The Bulldogs went 32-4 with a Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament title, which is quite the accomplishment in one of college basketball’s better mid-major conferences. In the NCAA Tournament, the Bulldogs upset No. 6 seed and nationally ranked Missouri in the first round, and it was their first NCAA Tournament win since 1971.
He spent one season with Drake before getting the job at the University of Iowa, which is in his hometown of Iowa City. The Hawkeyes had not made the NCAA Tournament in several seasons and were coming off a 17-16 record the year before, which culminated in the firing of longtime head coach Fran McCaffery.
It was no problem for McCollum, as he led the Hawkeyes to a 24-13 overall record and an Elite Eight appearance. The deep run was highlighted by Iowa’s last-second upset over No. 1 seed and defending national champion Florida. Before this season, the Hawkeyes had not been to the Elite Eight since 1987 and had not advanced to the Sweet 16 since 1999.
Why Ben McCollum is a fit
McCollum knows how to evaluate and develop players while maintaining a culture that produces winning. You don’t win four national championships in a 15-year span without doing those things.
He’s also shown he can perform in pressure situations. Just look at his performance in the tournament. At Northwest Missouri State, Drake and Iowa, McCollum has a 36-9 record (.818 winning percentage) and has won an NCAA Tournament game in 13 of 14 seasons.
Why Ben McCollum is not a fit
McCollum dominated at Northwest Missouri State and proved he could win at the Division I level with Drake and Iowa, but the jump to a blue-blood ACC job is one of the biggest leaps in the sport. The pressure, expectations and scrutiny at North Carolina are on a different level than his previous stops, with national media attention, demands for ACC and national titles, and constant comparisons to Dean Smith and Roy Williams.
Moreover, he will have to learn how to bring in top-notch recruits. While his player development skills are important, you also need talent to win at UNC, which the Tar Heels at times lacked under Hubert Davis as they continued to lose key national recruiting battles, including against archrival Duke.
Chances Ben McCollum is the guy?
UNC will have a great shot. McCollum was a Division II coach just two seasons ago, and I would be shocked if he weren’t interested in the job. However, there is one reason he might not be: he’s coaching in his hometown.
Is he ready to leave home and take over a program in a place he’s never lived? If there’s any school that can pull a Midwesterner away from his hometown, it’s UNC. The question now is whether the Tar Heels can convince him to make that leap.
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC basketball: Is Ben McCollum the next Tar Heels head coach?