Initial Iowa basketball head coach candidates list
Iowa men's basketball is in the midst of a seismic change. The Hawkeyes have fired head coach Fran McCaffery after 15 years leading the program. The door has swung wide open for an intriguing Power Four opportunity and will surely see a long list of names tied to it.
The Iowa Hawkeyes have due diligence to do and athletic director Beth Goetz has almost surely pulled together a list of candidates that the program is eyeing, but until the hiring is made, that list won't be known.
As the dust still settles, check out a list of potential head coach candidates for Iowa.
Darian DeVries, West Virginia
Darian DeVries hails from Aplington, Iowa. DeVries knows Iowa. He played at Northern Iowa and was the coach at Drake from 2018 to 2024. He knows the recruiting landscape, and he knows how to win games.
In his career, DeVries is 163-62. He was 150-55 at Drake while leading them to the NCAA Tournament three times from 2020 to 2024. He is in his first season at West Virginia.
Ben McCollum, Drake
Another Iowa native, and this one is even closer to home. Ben McCollum is from Iowa City, Iowa. He knows the Hawkeyes and has spent his life in the state. After playing high school basketball in Iowa, he played at North Iowa Area Community College before going to Northwest Missouri State.
He amassed a 395-91 record and won four NCAA Division II titles. He is in his first year with Drake and has the Bulldogs out to a 15-2 start and dreams of the NCAA Tournament.
Ben McCollum is in Year 1 of a five-year deal with Drake that he signed in April 2024 should Iowa try to pry him away.
Chris Collins, Northwestern
Collins could be lured to Iowa if it could offer the proper contract and name, image, and likeness licensing assurances.
The former Duke Blue Devils star spent time as an assistant under Coach K at Duke (2000-2013) before taking over the head role at Northwestern in 2013. What Collins has done at Northwestern is nothing short of impressive.
He has taken the Wildcats to the tournament three times and won a game in each of those trips. His career record at Northwestern is 190-182.
Chris Jans, Mississippi State
Jans is in the SEC now, but he has ties to Iowa that could lure him home. Being born in Iowa, he is a native, and that could be an enticing prospect for him.
His familiarity of growing up in Iowa, along with his time coaching at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids only gives him more intimate exposure to Iowa.
Niko Medved, Colorado State
Niko Medved is currently the head coach at Colorado State. Medved has compiled a record of 131-82 (68-48 Mountain West) while directing the Rams.
Under his watch, Colorado State has advanced to the NCAA Tournament in both 2022 and 2024 and the Rams currently own a 23-9 (16-4 Mountain West) record this season.
Jerrod Calhoun, Utah State
Calhoun has climbed the ranks in the college basketball world after starting out at Youngstown State before moving to Utah State, where he is taking the Aggies to the NCAA Tournament on a regular basis.
Another candidate who has gone the traditional route of climbing the rungs of small programs up the ladder, Iowa could be Calhoun's chance at a large program.
Ryan Odom, VCU
Odom is a winner. He simply knows how to get the most out of his teams and that could be a refreshing prospect for the Hawkeyes.
He has been at UMBC, where he pulled off the miraculous upset of a No. 16 seed over a No. 1 seed when they took down Virginia, as well as his prior time at Utah State. This hire doesn't have Iowa ties, but it brings in a proven winner.
Richard Pitino, New Mexico
Let's have fun with this one. This hire would be one of the splashier names Iowa could bring in due to the Pitino legacy that exists in the college basketball world.
That wouldn't be the only reason Pitino should be worth a call, though. He has Big Ten experience from his time at Minnesota, but more importantly, he is winning a lot of games at New Mexico. Give him Iowa's resources, and he could turn this around.
Mark Byington, Vanderbilt
A coach experiencing great success this year, Mark Byington is on the cusp of taking Vanderbilt to the NCAA Tournament amid one of the greatest conference years in college basketball history being had by the SEC.
Despite those who believe Iowa should make the tournament every year, bringing in a coach with experience of turning a program around could prove fruitful if given time.
Will Wade, McNeese
A name that is floated once or twice to every head coaching opening is McNeese head coach Will Wade. After some scandals at LSU that have forced Wade to take a step back, he has responded with resounding success at McNeese.
At 49-8 in his first two years there, Wade is taking McNeese to their second NCAA Tournament in a row. He knows how to coach and if Iowa is willing to swing big, he is a name that deserves a call.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Initial Iowa basketball head coach candidates list
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