McCollum/Ferentz

[jerbob36]

So first a confession: I love defense. I love rebounding. I love guys rotating and switching on pick and roll coverage. I love guys getting loose balls.

So there is a lot I like about McCollum. His Drake team has a tougness. They crash the glass. They are gritty.

But..... the offense is a bit like Kirk's offense. It is not dynamic. It is not high-tempo. Some might call it boring. They grind out possessions. They run the shot clock down. There is some standing around by 2-3 guys while a couple guys run an action.

I'm not saying any of that is bad when it's paired with winning. I'm just saying his offense is closer to Licklighter's than Fran's.

Ultimately, all that matters is wins, right? And McCollum has won everywhere he has gone. Winning in bunches. Winning tournaments. Winning National Titles.

McCollum is like Kirk. Not dynamic on offense. Hellacious on defense and fundamentals. I have no idea who else is on Beth's short list. But it's going to be interesting. He is already a top candidate for the IU job, so Beth better move fast if she wants him.

 

[MeetTheFerentzes]

That’s basketball

 

[HawkBall23]

I just said it in the Press Box, and I'll say it here again .....

Do you want a fast-paced offense but no defense or rebounding. That gets you 17 wins and MAYBE an invite to the new Crown tourney.

OR

Do you want a slower-paced offense but with defense and rebounding. With a 1st season coach playing some D2 transfers, that gets you 30 wins along with a regular AND conference tourney trophies, as well as entering the Big Dance as a mid-major team that NOBODY wants in their pod/region.


That is an absolute no-brainer of a choice for me.

 

[LetsGoHawks83]

We've tried Fran ball for 15 years. We know what we get with that. Maybe it's time to freaking try something different?

I've read that McCollum is an excellent basketball mind and will adjust based on his teams strengths.

 

[StormHawk42]

He’s said quite a bit they have to go extra slow this year because they lack shooters and depth. It’s definitely left them vulnerable to teams they are better than (like KF) but on the other hand, they’re 5-0 in OT this year.

The offense is low scoring but it’s very active because it’s constant cuts and passing until a layup or 3 pointer is open (or Stirtz makes something happen).

 

[jonesy5960]

I just said it in the Press Box, and I'll say it here again .....

Do you want a fast-paced offense but no defense or rebounding. That gets you 17 wins and MAYBE an invite to the new Crown tourney.

OR

Do you want a slower-paced offense but with defense and rebounding. With a 1st season coach playing some D2 transfers, that gets you 30 wins along with a regular AND conference tourney trophies, as well as entering the Big Dance as a mid-major team that NOBODY wants in their pod/region.


That is an absolute no-brainer of a choice for me.

Sounds similar to what people were saying about Lickliter. Butler went 29-7 and were an NCAA darling before he came to Iowa. Worked out great.

 

[BrewHawk]

Would you rather have a coach who has won 4 national titles or one who never made the final 16 teams in a tournament.

 

[the24fan]

He’s said quite a bit they have to go extra slow this year because they lack shooters and depth. It’s definitely left them vulnerable to teams they are better than (like KF) but on the other hand, they’re 5-0 in OT this year.

The offense is low scoring but it’s very active because it’s constant cuts and passing until a layup or 3 pointer is open (or Stirtz makes something happen).

Let’s not forget he would likely be getting better recruits at the B1G level. It’s time to try ANYTHING but what we’ve been watching for the last 15 years.

 

[Quintana]

Sounds similar to what people were saying about Lickliter. Butler went 29-7 and were an NCAA darling before he came to Iowa. Worked out great.

except lick had brad stevens at butler and when lick left and brad stayed, it was obvious who was the mastermind behind that program. i don't think mccollum is being propped up by a brad stevens. i hope not anyway.

 

[StormHawk42]

Sounds similar to what people were saying about Lickliter. Butler went 29-7 and were an NCAA darling before he came to Iowa. Worked out great.

True statement but McCollum has a clearly more established pattern of success than Lickliter. Lickliter was riding the coattails of Thad Matta’s recruits early on and had Brad Stevens on his staff at the end.

 

[uihawk82]

So first a confession: I love defense. I love rebounding. I love guys rotating and switching on pick and roll coverage. I love guys getting loose balls.

So there is a lot I like about McCollum. His Drake team has a tougness. They crash the glass. They are gritty.

But..... the offense is a bit like Kirk's offense. It is not dynamic. It is not high-tempo. Some might call it boring. They grind out possessions. They run the shot clock down. There is some standing around by 2-3 guys while a couple guys run an action.

I'm not saying any of that is bad when it's paired with winning. I'm just saying his offense is closer to Licklighter's than Fran's.

Ultimately, all that matters is wins, right? And McCollum has won everywhere he has gone. Winning in bunches. Winning tournaments. Winning National Titles.

McCollum is like Kirk. Not dynamic on offense. Hellacious on defense and fundamentals. I have no idea who else is on Beth's short list. But it's going to be interesting. He is already a top candidate for the IU job, so Beth better move fast if she wants him.

Sounds like you think McCollum studied offense under Lickliter

 

[Lakerswillbeback]

So first a confession: I love defense. I love rebounding. I love guys rotating and switching on pick and roll coverage. I love guys getting loose balls.

So there is a lot I like about McCollum. His Drake team has a tougness. They crash the glass. They are gritty.

But..... the offense is a bit like Kirk's offense. It is not dynamic. It is not high-tempo. Some might call it boring. They grind out possessions. They run the shot clock down. There is some standing around by 2-3 guys while a couple guys run an action.

I'm not saying any of that is bad when it's paired with winning. I'm just saying his offense is closer to Licklighter's than Fran's.

Ultimately, all that matters is wins, right? And McCollum has won everywhere he has gone. Winning in bunches. Winning tournaments. Winning National Titles.

McCollum is like Kirk. Not dynamic on offense. Hellacious on defense and fundamentals. I have no idea who else is on Beth's short list. But it's going to be interesting. He is already a top candidate for the IU job, so Beth better move fast if she wants him.

Kinda sounds like the way Wisky has been extremely successful over last few decades or so. And our ‘athletes’ complexions seem to be similar a lot. Maybe that’s our winning formula?

 

[icwesthawk]

I thought I read somewhere that McCollum has had to change his offense to fit personnel on Drake's team.

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

He’s said quite a bit they have to go extra slow this year because they lack shooters and depth. It’s definitely left them vulnerable to teams they are better than (like KF) but on the other hand, they’re 5-0 in OT this year.

The offense is low scoring but it’s very active because it’s constant cuts and passing until a layup or 3 pointer is open (or Stirtz makes something happen).

 

[HawkBall23]

Sounds similar to what people were saying about Lickliter. Butler went 29-7 and were an NCAA darling before he came to Iowa. Worked out great.

Well, unless someone tells me Coach K is walking in that door, I'm throwing in with the guy who's got a proven record of a ton of success in the past decade. Even if it was at lower levels.

 

[TampaHawkfan]

I'll say it - unless Beth can pull a miracle hire on a proven P4 coach like a Bruce Pearl or something crazy like that, then I'm all-in on a Ben McCollum hire.

 

[stanzithemanzi12]

I think with the new NIL era, a school like Iowa needs a defense/rebounding/hustle type head coach because that is a sustainable backbone for a program that will likely have some attrition with their top producers on offense.

I think the expectation at Iowa needs to be make the NCAA tournament 2 out of every 3 years, win and rebuild the environment at Carver, be more competitive on the road.

I think McCollum is a no brainer, but I'm not so sure we can beat out Indiana for him....

 

[Terrykohawk]

I just said it in the Press Box, and I'll say it here again .....

Do you want a fast-paced offense but no defense or rebounding. That gets you 17 wins and MAYBE an invite to the new Crown tourney.

OR

Do you want a slower-paced offense but with defense and rebounding. With a 1st season coach playing some D2 transfers, that gets you 30 wins along with a regular AND conference tourney trophies, as well as entering the Big Dance as a mid-major team that NOBODY wants in their pod/region.


That is an absolute no-brainer of a choice for me.

Gotta be somewhere in between. McCollum’s offense can be very boring to watch but defense obviously needs improvement by the Hawks. Hopefully Beth already has some contacts made with other ADs for future permission to speak to their coaches

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

I'll say it - unless Beth can pull a miracle hire on a proven P4 coach like a Bruce Pearl or something crazy like that, then I'm all-in on a Ben McCollum hire.

If he's bringing Bennett Stirtz with him, then absolutely!!!

 

[BrewHawk]

Winning is never boring.

 

[Bierhalter]

So first a confession: I love defense. I love rebounding. I love guys rotating and switching on pick and roll coverage. I love guys getting loose balls.

So there is a lot I like about McCollum. His Drake team has a tougness. They crash the glass. They are gritty.

But..... the offense is a bit like Kirk's offense. It is not dynamic. It is not high-tempo. Some might call it boring. They grind out possessions. They run the shot clock down. There is some standing around by 2-3 guys while a couple guys run an action.

I'm not saying any of that is bad when it's paired with winning. I'm just saying his offense is closer to Licklighter's than Fran's.

Ultimately, all that matters is wins, right? And McCollum has won everywhere he has gone. Winning in bunches. Winning tournaments. Winning National Titles.

McCollum is like Kirk. Not dynamic on offense. Hellacious on defense and fundamentals. I have no idea who else is on Beth's short list. But it's going to be interesting. He is already a top candidate for the IU job, so Beth better move fast if she wants him.

I believe McCollum when he says he would like to play faster, but that adapting to the strengths of his current players is more important. That shows a willingness, and more importantly the ability, to change one's philosophy year over year, which is more than what we can say at this point about FM.

"Kirk's offense" was cratered by BF over the course of several years, and is just now getting back to some semblance of functionality. That hardly means the football offense was always as bad as it has been recently.

 

[AmericaNeedsMe]

Those acting like McCollum is a lock to Iowa if we want him might be setting themselves up for disappoinment.

Indiana and Virginia are both involved.

 

[Max_Rebo]

Those acting like McCollum is a lock to Iowa if we want him might be setting themselves up for disappoinment.

Indiana and Virginia are both involved.

Anybody who has followed the coaching carousels in college football and basketball over the past several years should have learned that the “hot names” and “top choices” for openings very often end up not working out. Even if you look at Iowa’s last two basketball hires, neither one were at the top of many lists being circulated by fans and pundits on the Internet.

I’m as hopeful for McCollum or DeVries as anyone, but if I had to bet money, and my options were either of those two or the field, I’m taking the field.

I encourage all fans to manage expectations over the next few weeks.

 

[SI_NYC]

I just said it in the Press Box, and I'll say it here again .....

Do you want a fast-paced offense but no defense or rebounding. That gets you 17 wins and MAYBE an invite to the new Crown tourney.

OR

Do you want a slower-paced offense but with defense and rebounding. With a 1st season coach playing some D2 transfers, that gets you 30 wins along with a regular AND conference tourney trophies, as well as entering the Big Dance as a mid-major team that NOBODY wants in their pod/region.


That is an absolute no-brainer of a choice for me.

Such a balanced question. You could have saved yourself some time and asked, ‘do you want to be average or elite’.

Btw, there’s no guarantee McCollum would get 30 wins. Most likely he doesn’t come close to that number of wins if he becomes Iowa’s coach.

 

[hawkdave007]

I recently met with well-known high school coach here in Iowa, and I commented on Drake's relentlessnes on defense and rebounds. He had two words for me: "that's culture". It sorta stopped me in my tracks.

There has to be a mantra for the Drake program that "Nobody out-rebounds us, ever" that has become part of their program culture.

Iowa Football seems to have the "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard" mantra baked into its program culture. Iowa Football is what it is because Ferentz is a culture coach, above all.

The closest thing in my lifetime Iowa Basketball ever had to a "culture", that I can recall, was Dr. Tom always running the full court press. Even if you thought it was a dumb approach, it created an identity for the program of "this is who we are."

We tend to overstate the value if tactics of coaches, and underestimate the value of their establishment of program culture.

Alford, Lickliter, and Fran were all decent basketball technicians (at various points in their respective careers), but none of them were culture coaches. Winning with them was a matter of catching them at their prime (or past their prime in the case of Lickliter). But they all left us with a "case of the blahs" in the end because none of them ever established a winning culture here at Iowa.

KF is a culture coach. McCollum is culture coach. Cultures establish an identity that can win over the long haul, so long as the coach relentlessnesly reinforces the culture.

Don't underestimate what McCollum will bring to his next job. The Iowa Basketball program is long-overdue for a culture coach.

 

[hawkjt]

I recently met with well-known high school coach here in Iowa, and I commented on Drake's relentlessnes on defense and rebounds. He had two words for me: "that's culture". It sorta stopped me in my tracks.

There has to be a mantra for the Drake program that "Nobody out-rebounds us, ever" that has become part of their program culture.

Iowa Football seems to have the "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard" mantra baked into its program culture. Iowa Football is what it is because Ferentz is a culture coach, above all.

The closest thing in my lifetime Iowa Basketball ever had to a "culture", that I can recall, was Dr. Tom always running the full court press. Even if you thought it was a dumb approach, it created an identity for the program of "this is who we are."

We tend to overstate the value if tactics of coaches, and underestimate the value of their establishment of program culture.

Alford, Lickliter, and Fran were all decent basketball technicians (at various points in their respective careers), but none of them were culture coaches. Winning with them was a matter of catching them at their prime (or past their prime in the case of Lickliter). But they all left us with a "case of the blahs" in the end because none of them ever established a winning culture here at Iowa.

KF is a culture coach. McCollum is culture coach. Cultures establish an identity that can win over the long haul, so long as the coach relentlessnesly reinforces the culture.

Don't underestimate what McCollum will bring to his next job. The Iowa Basketball program is long-overdue for a culture coach.

When lick came in all the rhetoric(even nationally) was the strong culture as in " the Butler way".....clearly it never took at Iowa.

I am still scarred from buying into " the Butler way"....and a bit leery of " the shooting star" of a flavor of the month guy who has never coached or recruited at top level ie. Power 4 level.

I hope Beth looks hard at " going big" with this hire.
Jans, Brownell,beard ect.
Sean Miller of Xavier is top of my list.
I know..he got in trouble at Arizona for stuff that is legal now...like pearl.
These guys know how to play outside the envelope recruiting-wise...and now it's all allowed.
We need a big personality/ salesman at Iowa to woo recruits and fans to regain lost momentum.
Not sure Ben M. Is the right guy for Iowa right now.

 

[ddelzell]

Let's bring Ben home to Iowa City. It might be nice to watch gritty, tough teams again.

 

[HawksRule73]

When lick came in all the rhetoric(even nationally) was the strong culture as in " the Butler way".....clearly it never took at Iowa.

I am still scarred from buying into " the Butler way"....and a bit leery of " the shooting star" of a flavor of the month guy who has never coached or recruited at top level ie. Power 4 level.

I hope Beth looks hard at " going big" with this hire.
Jans, Brownell,beard ect.
Sean Miller of Xavier is top of my list.
I know..he got in trouble at Arizona for stuff that is legal now...like pearl.
These guys know how to play outside the envelope recruiting-wise...and now it's all allowed.
We need a big personality/ salesman at Iowa to woo recruits and fans to regain lost momentum.
Not sure Ben M. Is the right guy for Iowa right now.

McCollum has Bo Ryan written all over him (minus being a complete asshole). Did his time at the lower levels and won like crazy….with a focus on toughness, rebounding, and defense. We’d be lucky to have him.

 

[hexumhawk]

There hasn't been a NCAA champion outside of the top 20 in defense in the last 30 years.

 

[83Hawk]

So first a confession: I love defense. I love rebounding. I love guys rotating and switching on pick and roll coverage. I love guys getting loose balls.

So there is a lot I like about McCollum. His Drake team has a tougness. They crash the glass. They are gritty.

But..... the offense is a bit like Kirk's offense. It is not dynamic. It is not high-tempo. Some might call it boring. They grind out possessions. They run the shot clock down. There is some standing around by 2-3 guys while a couple guys run an action.

I'm not saying any of that is bad when it's paired with winning. I'm just saying his offense is closer to Licklighter's than Fran's.

Ultimately, all that matters is wins, right? And McCollum has won everywhere he has gone. Winning in bunches. Winning tournaments. Winning National Titles.

McCollum is like Kirk. Not dynamic on offense. Hellacious on defense and fundamentals. I have no idea who else is on Beth's short list. But it's going to be interesting. He is already a top candidate for the IU job, so Beth better move fast if she wants him.

There was a guy on KXNO this morning who has spent a lot of time with Ben. Says he likes to recruit smart, tough kids.

 

[hawkirugged17]

There hasn't been a NCAA champion outside of the top 20 in defense in the last 30 years.

 

[Max_Rebo]

Anybody who has followed the coaching carousels in college football and basketball over the past several years should have learned that the “hot names” and “top choices” for openings very often end up not working out. Even if you look at Iowa’s last two basketball hires, neither one were at the top of many lists being circulated by fans and pundits on the Internet.

I’m as hopeful for McCollum or DeVries as anyone, but if I had to bet money, and my options were either of those two or the field, I’m taking the field.

I encourage all fans to manage expectations over the next few weeks.

Seems appropriate to bump this.

 

[joelbc1]

He’s said quite a bit they have to go extra slow this year because they lack shooters and depth. It’s definitely left them vulnerable to teams they are better than (like KF) but on the other hand, they’re 5-0 in OT this year.

The offense is low scoring but it’s very active because it’s constant cuts and passing until a layup or 3 pointer is open (or Stirtz makes something happen).

There is nothing wrong about “valuing ball possessions” and playing defense. It is just another way to play the game.

 

[Ladell-hawk]

There was a guy on KXNO this morning who has spent a lot of time with Ben. Says he likes to recruit smart, tough kids.

I hope whoever we get recruits smart, tough AND highly skilled kids !

 

[NevadaHawk]

There was a guy on KXNO this morning who has spent a lot of time with Ben. Says he likes to recruit smart, tough kids.

That is what Lute Olsen did when he first arrived in Iowa City. Dick Peth comes to mind.

 

[Ad-Hawk]

Sounds similar to what people were saying about Lickliter. Butler went 29-7 and were an NCAA darling before he came to Iowa. Worked out great.

yeah man you nailed literally every mid major coach who has a slow offense is exactly like Todd Lickliter, this is a very keen basketball insight

 

[Hawkaholic18]

Wisconsin is a good model.

 

[TXHCHawk]

I recently met with well-known high school coach here in Iowa, and I commented on Drake's relentlessnes on defense and rebounds. He had two words for me: "that's culture". It sorta stopped me in my tracks.

There has to be a mantra for the Drake program that "Nobody out-rebounds us, ever" that has become part of their program culture.

Iowa Football seems to have the "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard" mantra baked into its program culture. Iowa Football is what it is because Ferentz is a culture coach, above all.

The closest thing in my lifetime Iowa Basketball ever had to a "culture", that I can recall, was Dr. Tom always running the full court press. Even if you thought it was a dumb approach, it created an identity for the program of "this is who we are."

We tend to overstate the value if tactics of coaches, and underestimate the value of their establishment of program culture.

Alford, Lickliter, and Fran were all decent basketball technicians (at various points in their respective careers), but none of them were culture coaches. Winning with them was a matter of catching them at their prime (or past their prime in the case of Lickliter). But they all left us with a "case of the blahs" in the end because none of them ever established a winning culture here at Iowa.

KF is a culture coach. McCollum is culture coach. Cultures establish an identity that can win over the long haul, so long as the coach relentlessnesly reinforces the culture.

Don't underestimate what McCollum will bring to his next job. The Iowa Basketball program is long-overdue for a culture coach.

Amen, brother. Keep preaching. Culture is key, and the silent killer for ill organizations (those without or unevaluated, poor culture).

 

[Ad-Hawk]

The actual obvious guy to comp him to would be Grant McCasland. McCasland built a consistent winner at North Texas playing very slow and now has Texas Tech as a four seed in year two after inheriting a mess after Mark Adams was fired for racism and player abuse and basically the entire team left. McCasland has said publicly that he stole his offensive scheme from McCollum and he tried to hire him as his lead assistant to run the offense when he took the Texas Tech job.

 

[Bank of Hawk]

I don’t think Iowa men’s bball is getting him. Iowa is looking like they should be in the Horizon league.