Texas Tech basketball's Grant McCasland 'one of the few' Drake's Ben McCollum would work under
WICHITA, Kan. — When Grant McCasland started assembling his maiden coaching staff with the Texas Tech basketball team in the spring of 2023, Ben McCollum was rumored to be among the candidates for a lead assistant position.
McCollum had a number of similar opportunities during his nearly two-decade run of dominance at Division II Northwest Missouri State. His track record of success — four-time national champion and 21 wins in 13 of his 15 seasons at the helm — made him a highly sought after basketball mind.
So when McCasland, who McCollum called "one of my really close friends," tried to get him to Lubbock, he was more than willing to consider. But some leading men have trouble taking on a lesser job role, even if it's considered a promotion in the long run.
"I probably wanted to stay a head coach," McCollum said. "That's why I didn't pursue a lot of those opportunities throughout my career."
McCollum ultimately decided to return to Northwest Missouri State, a move that proved correct. A year later he became the head coach at Drake, leading the Bulldogs to a 30-3 overall record and a date with Missouri in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Thursday.
Texas Tech and Drake could wind up being opponents in the second round should the Bulldogs beat the Tigers and the Red Raiders knock off UNC Wilmington. If that were to happen, it would be yet another case of McCasland being on the opposing sideline of someone close to him.
That relationship wasn't enough to lure McCollum away from the D-II ranks in the spring of 2023, though McCasland is one of the few McCollum would consider having as a boss.
"There's been opportunities for those kinds of jobs throughout," McCollum said Wednesday. "Specific to (Tech), probably doesn't help me to say one way or the other, but (McCasland's) probably one of the few people in the world that I would work for because he's that good for a human being, and he is. He's a great coach."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: How close was Drake's Ben McCollum to joining Texas Tech basketball staff?
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