• Named head coach prior to the 2009-10 season (15 seasons)
• Career record of 394-91 (241-63 MIAA)
• 2022 NABC Division II National Coach of the Year (5th time - most in NABC Div. II history)
• 2021 NABC Division II National Coach of the Year
• 2020 NABC Division II National Coach of the Year
• 2019 John McLendon National Coach of the Year (all divisions)
• 2019 NABC, Basketball Times, HoopDirt.com Division II National Coach of the Year
• 2019 Kansas City Sports Awards Coach of the Year
• 2017 NABC and DII Bulletin Division II National Coach of the Year
• 12 MIAA Regular Season Titles (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)
• Eight MIAA Tournament Titles (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024)
• 32-7 NCAA Div. II Tournament Record (2017 NCAA National Champions, 2019 NCAA National Champions, 2021 NCAA National Champions, 2022 NCAA National Champions)
• Nine-Time MIAA Coach of the Year (2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024)
• 2012, 2020 Clarence "Big House" Gaines National Coach of the Year
• 2024 Inductee - Missouri Sports Hall of Fame
Head Coach
Northwest Missouri State head coach Ben McCollum has taken the Bearcats to an elite status in the realm of college basketball.
McCollum is the first five-time NABC Division II National Coach of the Year and a seven-time MIAA Coach of the Year.
Folks around basketball are talking about McCollum because of what has been built in Maryville, Mo.
“He really, really understands culture and what goes into winning from a people standpoint,” Marquette head coach Shaka Smart said. “Then he’s a great coach on both ends of the floor. And like the way that they play, you can tell he teaches guys and helps guys grow in how to play as opposed to little parts of the offense or parts of the defense. He teaches them to understand how to put it all together.”
“I coach Division I basketball, and I promise you they were a top-100 team in the country (last season),” Lipscomb head coach Lennie Acuff said. “How they play, what they do, it’s high-level basketball — their skill level, their feel, their player development, it’s really done in an admirable way.”
Over the past eight seasons, McCollum has guided Northwest to a mark of 253-21 and four NCAA Division II national championships (2017, 2019, 2021, 2022).
Northwest has won 25 or more games in 12 straight seasons - the longest active streak among all NCAA men's programs.
McCollum has guided the Bearcats to 11 straight MIAA regular season titles and eight MIAA tournament crowns. In 14 seasons at Northwest, McCollum has an overall record of 394-91.
McCollum led the Bearcats to a 31-3 mark in 2022-23, the fifth 30-win season of his coaching career.
Northwest became the first NCAA Division II men's basketball program to capture three consecutive national championships in the 2021-22 season. The Bearcats won their six NCAA Tournament games by an average margin of +14.0 points per game. Northwest's closest final victory margin of nine game in its 67-58 national championship victory over Augusta.
Trevor Hudgins earned his second consecutive NABC National Player of the Year Award and he teamed with Diego Bernard to post a 17-0 mark in NCAA Tournament games.
Northwest produced a mark of 34-5 overall, the fourth 30-win season under McCollum. Northwest ranked No. 4 in the nation in scoring defense (61.5 points allowed per game). Northwest went 32-1 when allowing 74 points or less in the 2021-22 season.
Northwest captured the program’s third NCAA Division II national championship in the 2020-21 season. McCollum guided the Bearcat to a 28-2 overall record. Northwest set an NCAA Elite Eight record by winning its three games by a total of 78 points - the most ever by a Division II national champion. McCollum was named the MIAA Coach of the Year for the seventh time after he helped guide the Bearcats to an MIAA record 21 league victories. Northwest was led by MIAA player of the year Trevor Hudgins, first-team all-MIAA pick Ryan Hawkins and MIAA defensive player of the year Diego Bernard. Hudgins earned NABC National Player of the Year accolades, while both Hudgins and Hawkins each tallied All-America status.
In 2019-20, the Bearcats posted a 31-1 record. The Bearcats also captured the MIAA regular season title and MIAA Tournament crown. The Bearcats were poised to host their fourth consecutive NCAA Division II Central Region Tournament before the NCAA decided to cancel the 2020 tournament because of COVID-19.
The 2019-20 team recorded the highest offensive efficiency (114.6) in the 16 years of Synergy’s database, which tracks college basketball at all levels. For comparison’s sake, the best Division I offense during that time was Villanova’s 2017-18 national championship team that posted a 110.0 efficiency.
The 'Cats were led by MIAA player of the year Trevor Hudgins and MIAA defensive player of the year Ryan Hawkins. Hudgins led the nation in three-point field goal percentage (53.3%) and ranked No. 3 in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.6). Northwest set the MIAA and school record for consecutive wins with 46 during the season. Northwest shot an NCAA Division II-best 45.7% from three-point range.
In 2018-19, McCollum led the Bearcats to a perfect 38-0 record and the NCAA Division II national championship. Northwest became only the fifth program to complete an undefeated season and capture the NCAA Division II national title. McCollum was named the NABC Division II national coach of the year.
The 2018-19 season saw Joey Witthus named as a first-team all-America selection by the NABC, D2CCA and Basketball Times. Witthus was named the Division II player of the year by the Basketball Times. Redshirt freshman Trevor Hudgins was named the Most Outstanding Player at the Elite Eight.
McCollum guided the Bearcats to the program's fifth consecutive MIAA regular season title in 2017-18. The Bearcat also captured their third straight MIAA tournament championship. Northwest went 27-4 overall and 16-3 in MIAA action behind the play of three-time league player of the year Justin PItts. Pitts averaged 18.9 points per game and dished out 5.0 assists per contest. Pitts was named an NABC and a D2CCA All-America choice at the conclusion of the season. Pitts concluded his NW career as the school's all-time leading scorer with 2,459 points, which ranks No. 4 all-time in MIAA history.
The Bearcats had a streak of 23 straight victories stretching from the 2016-17 season into the 2017-18 campaign. Northwest set the MIAA record for most consecutive home-court wins at 49 games from Jan. 14, 2015, to Feb. 17, 2018. The previous mark of 47 had been set by Central Missouri from Nov. 20, 1982 to Feb. 16, 1985.
McCollum's Bearcats broke through in 2016-17, winning the program's first NCAA national championship in front of 3,250 fans against Fairmont State, 71-61, in Sioux Falls, S.D. Northwest capped a 35-1 season, winning MIAA regular season and tournament titles. Justin PItts won his second-straight MIAA Player of the Year award and the Bearcats set a conference record for victories. McCollum was named the NABC Coach of the Year and was joined by National Player of the Year Pitts at the NCAA Final Four.
The Bearcats captured the program's third-straight MIAA regular season title in 2015-16, going 27-6. Northwest won the MIAA Tournament for the first time under McCollum and advanced to the NCAA's Regional Championship game for the third consecutive year. Pitts was named MIAA Player of the Year, averaging 21.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.
McCollum's Bearcats accomplished something in 2014-15 that no Northwest team had achieved since 1986-87. An outright MIAA regular season title after going 15-4 in conference action and 25-7 overall, marking a fourth-straight 20+win season. To cap it off, Northwest entered the NCAA Regional Championship tournament as a No. 4 seed and knocked off No. 5 Minnesota State (59-56) and host and No. 1 seed Augustana (66-65) to make a second-consecutive appearance in the Sweet 16. Pitts was tabbed a First Team All-MIAA performer and earned MIAA Freshman of the Year accolades. Matt Wallace was named the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year. McCollum won his 100th career game with an 83-59 victory over Northeastern State on Jan. 5, 2015, in Tahlequah, Okla.
The 2013-14 Bearcats reached the NCAA Sweet 16, going 24-9 overall. The regular-season MIAA co-champions went 16-3 in conference play to earn McCollum his second MIAA title. It was also the team’s third consecutive 20-plus win season, a feat that had not been accomplished since the 2007-08 season, prior to McCollum’s arrival. DeShaun Cooper was named the MIAA Player of the Year and was an All-America honoree by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).
His teams led the league in defense in 2011-12 and 2012-13 and finished as one of the top defensive units in the nation. Northwest advanced to the MIAA Tournament Championship game in 2013 knocking of top seed Fort Hays State before falling in overtime of a thrilling championship game to Central Missouri.
In 2011-12, the Bearcats captured its 12th MIAA regular season championship in after finishing 15-5. Northwest also earned a berth in the NCAA tournament where the Bearcats fell in the first round, completing a 22-7 season. McCollum was named MIAA Coach of the Year and the Clarence “Big House” Gaines National Coach of the Year along with three Bearcats earning All-MIAA accolades.
The Bearcats showed improvement in McCollum’s second season in 2010-11, despite a 10-16 overall record. Northwest finished the season by winning six of the year’s final nine games. During his first season, McCollum was the second-youngest active head coach in NCAA Division II as the team finished 12-15 and one win shy of qualifying for the MIAA tournament.
Assistant Coach
Before returning to Northwest, McCollum served four years as an assistant coach under David Moe at Emporia State.
McCollum got his start in college coaching as a graduate assistant at Northwest under head coach Steve Tappmeyer, who he would eventually replace. During his two seasons as a graduate assistant, Northwest went 58-8 and returned to the Elite Eight for the second time in program history.
Personal
As a player, McCollum helped lead the Bearcats to a 51-12 record, including a 29-3 mark during the 2001-02 campaign that culminated with the first Elite Eight appearance in Northwest history. It also marked the first time the Bearcats swept the MIAA regular season and tournament titles as they lost a heartbreaker to Southern Indiana in the Elite Eight.
A native of Storm Lake, Iowa, McCollum began his college career at North Iowa Area Community College where he was a two-time all-region performer before transferring to Northwest.
McCollum earned his bachelor’s degree in finance before earning a master’s degree in athletic administration, both from Northwest. He and his wife, Michelle, are the parents of two sons, Peyton and Tate, and a daughter, Grace Ann.
