BOSTON, Mass. – Drake men's basketball head coach Ben McCollum has been named a finalist for the 2024-25 Joe B. Hall award, Collegeinsider.com announced. The award is presented annually to the top first-time head coach in division I college basketball.
In his first year in Des Moines, McCollum guided the Bulldogs to their first outright Missouri Valley Conference regular season title since 2008 with an overall record of 27-3 and a 17-3 mark in league play. Drake's 27-3 record is the best mark in school history after 30 games and its 17-3 conference record marks the first time in school history a Drake team has won 17 conference games.