Iowa Basketball: What Ben McCollum Said About Choosing Iowa Over North Carolina

The college basketball coaching carousel deserves its own amusement park. I'm talking all the bells and whistles. Give it some roller coasters, the spinning rides, the big slides; heck, even throw in a water park to really drive home the point.

My point? It's an ongoing circus act that happens like clockwork each year once the college basketball season wraps up.

For the first time in a long time, the Iowa Hawkeyes and their fans had to hold their breath for a few anxious moments. After leading the Hawkeyes to a magical Elite 8 run, Ben McCollum's name was linked to any head coaching job worth its weight in salt.

The biggest of the bunch? A college basketball blueblood: the North Carolina Tar Heels.

North Carolina went after Ben McCollum only to be denied

Ben McCollum was at Big Ten Media Days previewing the upcoming 2026-27 college basketball season when it was brought up. The Tar Heels went after McCollum this offseason after going their separate ways with Hubert Davis, who was the head coach from 2022 to 2026.

McCollum, as he so often does, turned things back to his excitement about being the head coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes.

"I don't have a lot to say about that one. Like we've always said, we're pretty excited about the University of Iowa and what we can do. And this really fits who I am as a coach because I can recruit the kids who I want to recruit," McCollum said about choosing Iowa over UNC.

Ben McCollum was asked about North Carolina's interest this offseason, and his answer included why he feels Iowa is the place for him.

"I don't have a lot to say about that one. Like we've always said, we're pretty excited about the University of Iowa and what we can do. [Iowa]… pic.twitter.com/3cXNF9IeN2
— Sean Bock (@SBock247) October 8, 2026

Why would Ben McCollum leave?

Let's make one thing very clear: the North Carolina Tar Heels are part of the college basketball blue blood word. You don't have the history of Dean Smith, Roy Williams, and six national championships only to be excluded.

For Ben McCollum, leaving Iowa after just one year - which was a very magical and transformative one year for the Hawkeyes' basketball program - was never part of the plan. This was a destination job for Ben McCollum.

Ben McCollum is as native to Iowa City, Iowa, as they come. He was born in Iowa City, making him a Hawkeye from birth. That's the first part of the equation.

The second part is that Ben McCollum truly believes he can build a program that has sustained and consistent success, as he did at Northwest Missouri State. He has proven he can recruit. He can use the portal. And he can develop talent. Just look at Bennett Stirtz.

Ben McCollum is at home with the Iowa Hawkeyes.

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