The latest intel on Ben McCollum is bad news for UNC’s search
UNC could eye Iowa coach Ben McCollum for its head coaching vacancy, but the Hawkeyes plan to extend his contract.
With North Carolina’s search for its next head coach still ongoing — and the Tar Heels still trying to hit on their A-list candidates — several names in the next tier are starting to surface. One of those is Iowa head coach Ben McCollum . McCollum led the Hawekeyes to a 24-13 season and its first Elite Eight appearance since 1987, punctuated by a last-second upset of No.
1 seed and defending national champion Florida. The Hawkeyes had advanced past the Round of 32 since 1999 and were coming off a 17-16 year that led to the firing of longtime coach Fran McCaffery. However, according to CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jon Rothstein, any school eyeing McCollum, including North Carolina, will have to reckon with Iowa’s plans — and his stated intentions.
“Ben McCollum is in the first year of his contract, and the AD at Iowa has told me that they plan to sign him to a contract extension,” Rothstein said. “He has publicly said that he would like to be the head coach at Iowa for a long time. ” "I have been told that Billy Donovan will not entertain a conversation with UNC until after the Chicago Bulls season is over...
I would expect names like Texas Tech's Grant McCasland, Vanderbilt's Mark Byington, and also Iowa's Ben McCollum to be on (UNC's) list. " -… pic. twitter.