Ben McCollum's Latest Addition Is Huge For Iowa Basketball's NBA Development

Ben McCollum is building a seriously impressive assistant coaching staff at Iowa.

Jan 1, 2024; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders assistant coach Luke Barnwell before the game against the North Alabama Lions at United Supermarkets Arena. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images | Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

Ben McCollum, new head coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball program, has quickly built an assistant coaching staff that will have many coaches throughout the nation jealous.

His latest addition is a big one, as he was able to lure Texas Tech assistant coach Luke Barnwell to Iowa City.

It's ironic because Barnwell was part of the Texas Tech team that knocked McCollum's Drake team out of the NCAA Tournament, but there's no animosity here on the part of Iowa's new head coach. He brought Barnwell onto the staff because he believes he possesses a ton of intangibles as an assistant.

“I have known Luke for a number of years,” said McCollum in a statement.  “He is an elite recruiter, excellent coach and has had a ton of success at the prep level. He also has a lot of experience at the Power 5 level with one of the top coaches in the country in Grant McCasland.   We’re excited to have Luke join our program.”

The recruiting part is good, but in today's NIL and transfer portal heavy environment, having an assistant coach who can help players develop and potentially take the next step to the NBA can provide the advantage for a program like Iowa.

That's where the hire of Barnwell comes in. He's credited with being one of the folks who helped develop Big 12 Player of the Year JT Toppin at Texas Tech. Toppin averaged 18.2 points and 9.4 rebounds a game this past season for the Red Raiders.

Toppin will be one of the top players in the 2026 NBA Draft next season and speaking of the NBA, several NBA players were under Barnwell's tutelage when he was the head coach at Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas for 10 seasons. That's a list that includes Kennedy Chandler, Kendall Brown, Gradey Dick and Ochai Agbaji. He also trained Buddy Hield and Ron Baker.

Barnwell checks all the boxes as a developmental coach who can help the Hawkeyes get to the next level, so this is a great hire by McCollum.

Barnwell could end up being McCollum's top assistant in 2025 but he's also joined by Connor Wheeler, Josh Sash and Bryston Williams, who all followed the head coach from Drake.