DRAKE’S BEN MCCOLLUM RECIPIENT OF 2025 JOE B. HALL AWARD
The top first-year head coach in division I college basketball

SAN ANTONIO, TX -- Drake’s Ben McCollum is the recipient of the 2025 Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year award, which is presented annually to the top first-time head coach in division I college basketball.

McCollum's division I debut was a record-setting season at Drake. He guided the Bulldogs to a school-record 31 wins, the Missouri Valley Conference regular season and tournament titles and a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

After sweeping the league’s regular season and tournament titles, the Bulldogs earned a No. 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They defeated No. 6 seed Missouri, 67-57 to record the program’s first non-First Four win since 1971. The team’s 31 victories were the most by a first-year coach in Valley history, which earned him MVC Coach of the Year.

“Coach Ben McCollum is the definition of ‘quality knowing no level,’” said James Wilhelmi, Senior Analyst of CollegeInsider.com. “The same championship mentality and elite execution that made him a powerhouse at the D2 level have seamlessly translated to the Missouri Valley. His immediate success at Drake is no surprise -- great coaching wins anywhere. The Joe B. Hall Award is a fitting recognition for his impact.”

During his 16-year coaching career, McCollum won four NCAA Division II national championships (2017, 2019, 2021, 2022) at Northwest Missouri State University. He has amassed a 426-95 record and an 81.8 winning percentage. It is fifth-best all-time among collegiate men’s basketball coaches.

McCollum is also the only non-division I coach to win the John McLendon award, which he was awarded in 2019.
The Joe B. Hall award is named in honor of longtime Kentucky head coach Joe B. Hall who was given the task of following the legendary Adolph Rupp at the school. In his first season, Hall finished 20-8, won the SEC and advanced to the NCAA Regional Finals.

Hall coached the Wildcats from 1972 to 1985. He won two-thirds of his games (297-100), received four SEC Coach of the Year honors, and won a National Championship in 1978. He also steered the program to two other Final Fours, won eight Southeastern Conference regular season championships and one Southeastern Conference tournament championship (1984).

Coach Hall passed away on January 15, 2022.

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