IOWA CITY — This year, for the first time since 2023, Ben McCollum did not change jobs.
After a lengthy stint at Northwest Missouri State, McCollum has rocketed up the college basketball ranks. In 2024, he made the move to Drake after 15 seasons as head coach at Northwest Missouri State. In 2025, he took the job at Iowa after just one season at Drake.
But in 2026, McCollum stayed put.
After leading the Hawkeyes to their first Elite Eight since 1987, Iowa and McCollum agreed on a new contract, tacking one more year onto his original deal and giving him a pay bump.
“For two years, you don’t ever really have like a grip on things because you’re kind of just hustling for two years,” McCollum said during a May interview with the Des Moines Register. “Because with Drake, you’re trying to create that program, so you’re kind of in a hustle mode — like get this thing going. And then you’re here, and you’re trying to hustle. So you don’t really have your feet underneath you. And now, it feels like we’re starting to get our feet underneath us and know exactly what we want, know exactly how to get there and really trying to move that direction consistently. I think that’s what this year will really help with.”
After a wildly successful NCAA Tournament run, Iowa will look to build on the foundation it laid in year one.
Here are some important storylines for the Iowa men’s basketball program this summer.
How do the newcomers acclimate?
Iowa is adding four new faces to its roster.
The Hawkeyes addressed their most glaring transfer-portal needs by landing Ty’Reek Coleman from Illinois State and Andrew McKeever from Saint Mary’s. Coleman is a quick-twitch guard who showed promise as a true freshman in the Missouri Valley Conference. McKeever is a towering 7-foot-3 big man who gives Iowa the type of interior presence it lacked last season.
Obviously, McCollum is familiar with their skillsets, but he also does not have all the answers to how they will fit in just yet. The summer should allow him to collect more information.
For instance, when asked if McKeever’s foot speed is good enough to avoid playing a certain ball-screen coverage defensively, McCollum said: “I hope so. We’ll find out.”
The other two newcomers are from the high school ranks — Ethan Harris and Jaidyn Coon, both of whom are four-star prospects. Harris, who is coming off an injury, picked Iowa over Gonzaga, Washington and Boise State. Coon, the 2026 Iowa Mr. Basketball winner, was originally signed with Creighton before changing course this spring.
While they look like foundational pieces for the future of the program, it remains to be seen what their roles will be for the upcoming season.
Last season showed how wide-ranging the playing time can be for those in their first season with McCollum. Tate Sage carved out a role in Iowa’s regular rotation. Trevin Jirak appeared sparingly. Trey Thompson redshirted.
“It all depends on how quickly they can adapt to everything,” McCollum said in May of Harris and Coon. “I think they’re both physically there. I think they’re going to both be really, really good players in the Big Ten. Some people are quicker than others and it just depends on how they come in. I try not to have too many preconceived notions as to how quickly they can adapt just because then (if I did), it doesn’t keep a level playing field. But obviously, Jaidyn’s freakishly athletic, elite personality, elite energy, just a great person. And the same goes for Ethan. Just a little bit different skillset. But both of them, from a personality and fit perspective, is probably about as good as you get.”
Which returners make noticeable improvement?
Internal development is something that McCollum has touted. With Iowa bringing back 10 players from last season’s roster, that will be in the spotlight.
“When you get year one to year two to year three in our program, I think you’ll be shocked,” McCollum said in February. “You look no further than Bennett (Stirtz). He was second-team all-conference in a Division II league. Second-team all-conference in a Division II league, OK? And then he’s MVP of the Missouri Valley. The Missouri Valley is a really good league. And then … he’s having a good year here and winning games here. So, year two, year three, year four in our program, guys will shockingly get better.”
There are a bunch of players whose progress this offseason will be fascinating. Tate Sage, Cooper Koch, Trey Thompson and Trevin Jirak are among those entering their second season with McCollum, while Kael Combs, Cam Manyawu and Isaia Howard are among those entering their third season with McCollum.
Can Sage and Koch become double-figure scorers? Can Thompson be a reliable contributor in his first season of game action at the college level? Can Howard be more consistent? Can Jirak be a legitimate factor?
With Iowa facing such a consequential loss in Stirtz, it’s crucial that the Hawkeye returners are ready to take on larger roles to help fill that production.
How does Iowa move forward without Stirtz?
Stirtz was the fulcrum of Iowa’s offense last season, whether that be with his scoring, playmaking, or simply attracting attention from opposing defenses.
On paper, Iowa looks like it will have a much more balanced attack than it did last season, when Stirtz did a lot of heavy lifting. By adding McKeever to a roster that features big wings like Koch, Iowa has the option to go with some jumbo lineups.
The summer should give McCollum a clearer picture of how the puzzle pieces fit together and how to best utilize them in the post-Stirtz era.
“Maybe we build it (the offense) more with pin downs and flares and stuff like that,” McCollum said. “Maybe we do it more with zooms. It can change based off your personnel every single year based off where your gravity’s going to be.”
In layman’s terms, McCollum is essentially saying that the X’s and O’s of Iowa’s offense could look different than last season, depending on how Iowa might present threats to its opposition.
Strength and conditioning
Physical maturation is something that McCollum wants to see from the players in his program. The summer training block provides a great opportunity to make gains.
For some, this will be the second offseason working with director of men’s basketball athletic performance Logan Ogden.
“He’s amazing,” Cam Manyawu said of Ogden in October. “He brings a nutritional aspect to it, helping us with eating the right foods. From the spring to now, I’ve put on 20 pounds, and it’s good weight. I still feel athletic. So he’s been a major part of me putting on weight and getting stronger and still feeling like my same self and being able to move the same way. So it’s been really good.”
It’s also important for the newcomers, who can become better equipped for the physicality of the Big Ten. This will be Harris and Coon’s first time lifting in a college program. Coleman, who is listed at just 175 pounds, can add strength to his frame as he makes the transition from the Missouri Valley Conference to the more demanding Big Ten.
High school recruiting
The summer is a key time for high school recruiting.
The Hawkeyes don’t currently have any commitments in their 2027 high school class but are at work on the recruiting trail, pursuing some high-level talent.
Here are some names to know, along with their rating, according to the 247Sports Composite:
Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at TTachman@usatodayco.com
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Summer storylines to watch for Iowa men’s basketball
Reporting by Tyler Tachman, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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