Iowa HC Credits Fans After First Win

The Iowa Hawkeyes fanbase, at least at it relates to the men's basketball program in Iowa City, hasn't exactly been involved with the team in the past few years. Of course, one look at former head coach Fran McCaffery's spiraling tenure would explain that they didn't really have a reason to be.

A Formerly Bad Finish

Finishing 17-16 (7-13 in the B1G) in the 2024-25 season, much of the usual energy had been sapped from black and gold fans; what reason was there to be excited when the program's output was at the bottom of the conference barrel? Not to mention the usual success of Iowa's other athletic endeavors. The men's basketball bunch has become practically irrelevant for a time, until now.

With the hiring of HC Ben McCollum, formerly of the Drake Bulldogs and fresh off an NCAA Tournament win, much of the gusto that has previously escaped the program seemed to immediately return, and in his first game at the helm, the Hawkeyes ran away with a 101-69 victory over the Robert Morris Colonials.

After the game, McCollum honed in on the support of fans, who showed out regardless of the program's recent struggles. "I couldn't be more pleased with the fans," he said.

Ben McCollum taking photos with fans following his first win as Iowa head coach pic.twitter.com/pcS4hxrOFf
— Sean Bock (@SBock247) November 5, 2025

"Keep coming, through the good and the bad. It's not going to be perfect. It's not going to be like this every night. But, it can be really special if we have them on our side."

Beyond the Job Description

McCollum's effort to build something special extends beyond his (already impressive) work with a clipboard in-hand, as the team's lead man spent time with waiting fans after the game. Signing autographs isn't in the job description, but it surely goes a long way for a fanbase long removed from personality and positivity in McCollum's position. Iowa needs a new culture in Carver-Hawkeye arena, and that's how it starts.

While Iowa still won't begin conference play for a few more weeks now, the team getting off to a hot start in more ways than one sets a much-needed tone for the overhauled program moving forward. Not only that, but it gives fans an actual reason to show up to big games.

McCollum and his Hawkeyes are set to face off against Western Illinois this weekend, before a date with the Xavier Musketeers, led by Richard Pitino, the following week. As the schedule toughens, now is the time for folks to jump on board and get behind the new and improved Iowa Hawkeyes.

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