McCollum or Devries?
- Thread starter jocohawk
- Start date
I have no idea, but it sure will be interesting to watch over the next few years, and you can bet they'll have their own personal rivalry. Interesting to see Iowa was picked to finish 9th in the BTen by the preseason media, and the Hoosiers 10th.
Fryowa
Administrator
Neither coach has done a thing in major conference basketball yet. Like football, lower conference results do not translate reliably to P6. That's not a criticism, it's just a fact. Nobody knows how either of these guys will pan out. Devries' single season at WV wasn't exactly a Cadillac.
SwirlinLingerie
Well-Known Member
McCollum and it ain't close.
Fryowa
Administrator
McCollum at least from what I've seen has that Cignetti-style energy and vibe. It's working for that guy and I'll take it over a Hoiberg type snoozer any day of the week.
MisterLucky
Well-Known Member
I haven't seen these coaches enough to judge them on their various methods and communication skills, but it appears that McCollum has a quirky sense of humor, so for now, I choose him.
HawkeyeHypnosis
Well-Known Member
I saw a poll of 100 coaches who were asked who the best hire during offseason was, McCollum got the highest percentage and Devries had second most.
ICHawk24
Well-Known Member
Found the CBS poll linked below, thanks for mentioning it, HH. Odd to see Devries not mentioned at all.
Others receiving multiple votes: Kevin Willard (Villanova), Ross Hodge (West Virginia), Alex Jensen (Utah)
www.cbssports.com
Who was the best hire of the 2025 hiring cycle?
| Ben McCollum, Iowa | 25% |
| Will Wade, NC State | 22% |
| Sean Miller, Texas | 21% |
| Ryan Odom, Virginia | 9% |
| Buzz Williams, Maryland | 7% |
| Niko Medved, Minnesota | 5% |
Quotes that stood out
About McCollum
- "I didn't know much about him before he went to Drake. Just heard there was this high-level D-II coach, but I started studying his stuff this past year. They played a coach I worked with … I watched one game, locked in, and it's just incredible what he does. I studied him more and more as the season went along. Then they beat Missouri in the NCAA Tournament. There's more than just success in Year 1 (at Iowa). Longevity at that place. That feels like a really good fit for him and he's bringing a couple of his good players. I'd be surprised if he doesn't have immediate success there."
- "It should've never taken Ben this long to get a power-conference job. Look at his career record and accomplishments. Great coach. He'll win consistently as long as his administration supports him."
- "McCollum I don't know anything about, but seems like he's a controlling tempo and defensive guy, so that will translate no matter what personnel they have. Also it seems like a perfect personality location fit for a new head coach. And his track record is super impressive."
- "Ben McCollum because of fit. From the region, winning at an insane clip and has shown now he can recruit and coach in the current landscape of D-I. Iowa fans will love his demeanor and style of play."
Candid Coaches: Which school made the best college basketball coaching hire in 2025?
There were 14 high-major job swaps this year and the Big Ten has three of the top six vote-getters in our poll
www.cbssports.com
HawkeyeHypnosis
Well-Known Member
Maybe they just were talking about Devries. I swear they mentioned his percentage was right behind McCollum. Guess I heard that wrong. Thanks for finding that.Found the CBS poll linked below, thanks for mentioning it, HH. Odd to see Devries not mentioned at all.
Who was the best hire of the 2025 hiring cycle?
Others receiving multiple votes: Kevin Willard (Villanova), Ross Hodge (West Virginia), Alex Jensen (Utah)
Ben McCollum, Iowa 25% Will Wade, NC State 22% Sean Miller, Texas 21% Ryan Odom, Virginia 9% Buzz Williams, Maryland 7% Niko Medved, Minnesota 5%
Quotes that stood out
About McCollum
- "I didn't know much about him before he went to Drake. Just heard there was this high-level D-II coach, but I started studying his stuff this past year. They played a coach I worked with … I watched one game, locked in, and it's just incredible what he does. I studied him more and more as the season went along. Then they beat Missouri in the NCAA Tournament. There's more than just success in Year 1 (at Iowa). Longevity at that place. That feels like a really good fit for him and he's bringing a couple of his good players. I'd be surprised if he doesn't have immediate success there."
- "It should've never taken Ben this long to get a power-conference job. Look at his career record and accomplishments. Great coach. He'll win consistently as long as his administration supports him."
- "McCollum I don't know anything about, but seems like he's a controlling tempo and defensive guy, so that will translate no matter what personnel they have. Also it seems like a perfect personality location fit for a new head coach. And his track record is super impressive."
- "Ben McCollum because of fit. From the region, winning at an insane clip and has shown now he can recruit and coach in the current landscape of D-I. Iowa fans will love his demeanor and style of play."
Candid Coaches: Which school made the best college basketball coaching hire in 2025?
There were 14 high-major job swaps this year and the Big Ten has three of the top six vote-getters in our poll
ICHawk24
Well-Known Member
HH, I can tell you read a lot on the internet, so you probably confused with another article.
The poll includes links to previous years. Looking at last years, DeVries was 7th. He apparently just doesn't have a great reputation among other coaches.
Others receiving votes: Jake Diebler (Ohio State), Darian DeVries (West Virginia), Andy Enfield (SMU), Chris Holtmann (DePaul), Steve Lutz (Oklahoma State), Eric Musselman (USC), Danny Sprinkle (Washington)
www.cbssports.com
The poll includes links to previous years. Looking at last years, DeVries was 7th. He apparently just doesn't have a great reputation among other coaches.
Who was the best high-major coaching hire of 2024?
| John Calipari (Arkansas) | 43.4% |
| Dusty May (Michigan) | 21.7% |
| Mark Pope (Kentucky) | 8.5% |
| Pat Kelsey (Louisville) | 4.7% |
| Kevin Young (BYU) | 4.7% |
| Kyle Smith (Stanford) | 3.8% |
Candid Coaches: Who was college basketball's best high-major coaching hire of 2024?
We asked coaches for their opinion on who was the big winner of the most recent coaching carousel
www.cbssports.com
HawkeyeHypnosis
Well-Known Member
Here’s what I watched about it. It was the guy on here that said he would have put Devries number one on his list. I just had that info wrong.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cD7y5Q5NDzw
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cD7y5Q5NDzw
We were backstage at the Big Noon Kickoff (after the trampling) and got to see Ben and a bunch of his players interacting with people back there. Having seen years of Fran's interactions with fans and various staff (general university, media, local businesses, etc), it's night and day. Ben was engaging with everyone he encountered, from the big name talent to the staffers who made those connections happen and who were running operations. I mentioned to him that my son had been in the pep band at Drake and he talked about how much he loves pep bands and related an anecdote about the one at Drake from his time there. Seems very much like a man of the people and program.
