Drake’s New Coach Ben McCollum

Getting His Dream Job

(St. Louis, MO) – Drake’s new coach Ben McCollum is making the big step up from Division II to Division 1. But it doesn’t seem like that large a leap for a four-time D2 national champion. McCollum has won .812 of his games at Northwest Missouri State and twelve conference titles in fifteen years.

He seems ready for the job.

While replacing the extremely successful Darian DeVries won’t be easy, McCollum knows how to build a program, succeed on the court and make a difference in his community. Drake’s new coach Ben McCollum is a winner.

He was a winner as a collegiate player and at NWMSU and he has been D2’s top coach for the past decade. Think Josh Schertz, but even more successful.

Second Time Success

McCollum applied for the Drake job when DeVries was hired six years ago. Now his dream job is his. He excited about finally arriving in Des Moines and says Josh Schertz’s success at Indiana State might have paved a way for a successful Division 2 coach.

 

 

He’s not only excited about a Division 1 job in Iowa, but specifically at Drake. McCollum says the leadership of President Marty Martin and Athletic Director Brian Hardin is second to none.

 

 

Philosophy of Coach Ben McCollum

While McCollum has been spectacularly successful on the basketball floor, he values more the impact he can make on people’s lives. His desire to teach his players how to be better husbands, fathers, employees and citizens outweighs his hopes of winning championships.

However, McCollum does win championships.

He says he wants to impact the greater community and help make people’s lives better. That is less measurable than won-loss records, but he believes it’s a worthy goal.

 

 

McCollum’s teams have been tremendous offensive units, but he hangs his hat on defense. The Bearcats’ gaudy offensive numbers are only outdone by Northwest Missouri’s defensive abilities. NWMSU was sixth nationally in effective field goal percentage (.582), tenth in field goal percentage (.502) and ninth in three-point percentage (.392).

Those numbers are outstanding, but the Bearcat defense was second nationally, allowing just 58.9 points per game.

McCollum says the two sides of the ball work hand in hand.

 

 

Putting his staff together is important, but McCollum who recently hired Bryston Williams says finding people to ‘do life with’ is as important as finding skilled coaches. Williams was part of Schertz’s staff at Indiana State and played collegiately at Northwest Missouri.

Coach Ben McCollum sounds like he’s building a family more than a ‘staff’.

 

 

At least nine players from last year’s team have entered the transfer portal and a tenth has exhausted his eligibility. McCollum has his work cut out for him. Drake fans have seen their Bulldogs win at least twenty games for the past six seasons and at least 25 games over the past four.

McCollum’s Bearcat teams have won at least 21 games for thirteen straight seasons and at least 25 games over the past ten. This program and coach Ben McCollum seem like the perfect fit.

To hear our entire conversations with McCollum and new Southern Illinois coach Scott Nagy, head to Valley Hoops Insider Podcasts.

Do Good