Krafcisin was coach of the NIACC men from 1997 to 2005 before being the women’s coach at Des Moines Area Community College from 2005 to 2022. He had Ben McCollum on his NIACC team from 1999 to 2001.
“Ben had a great career there,” Krafcisin said last week. “He could really shoot it, take it to the basket, and rebound.
“The first word that comes to mind about him is ‘stubborn,’ but a lot of times in a good way.
“Ben loved to drive into the lane. He would always go into the forest even though he knew he was going to get whacked.
“What he did coaching Northwest Missouri State was almost (John) Wooden-ish. Iowa is the next level, but I think he’s definitely ready for it. I think people will love him and the guys will love him. A lot of kids will want to play there.”
Kraficisin said McCollum was not without quirks.
“He snuck in a dog in the apartments by the pond at NIACC. I gave him so much grief about that. You can’t have a fricking dog.”
Krafcisin now lives in Boone and helps the Boone High girls’ team by being its scorekeeper at games.
“I sit there wearing a striped shirt,” he said. “It’s hilarious. The referees that knew me when I coached get a kick out of that.”
“Ben had a great career there,” Krafcisin said last week. “He could really shoot it, take it to the basket, and rebound.
“The first word that comes to mind about him is ‘stubborn,’ but a lot of times in a good way.
“Ben loved to drive into the lane. He would always go into the forest even though he knew he was going to get whacked.
“What he did coaching Northwest Missouri State was almost (John) Wooden-ish. Iowa is the next level, but I think he’s definitely ready for it. I think people will love him and the guys will love him. A lot of kids will want to play there.”
Kraficisin said McCollum was not without quirks.
“He snuck in a dog in the apartments by the pond at NIACC. I gave him so much grief about that. You can’t have a fricking dog.”
Krafcisin now lives in Boone and helps the Boone High girls’ team by being its scorekeeper at games.
“I sit there wearing a striped shirt,” he said. “It’s hilarious. The referees that knew me when I coached get a kick out of that.”
Steve Krafcisin of Iowa’s 1980 Final Four team coached Ben McCollum in junior college
Also, Fran McCaffery will get Penn playing better than it has in recent years, and Payton Sandfort dealt with a lot physically yet played every game this season.
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