Inside Iowa's basketball roster: How Ben McCollum used transfer portal to build March Madness contender

Ben McCollum’s first season with Iowa has been a remarkable success, as he’s led the Hawkeyes to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999.

McCollum has had a ton of success as a head coach, winning four Division II tournament titles with Northwest Missouri State. He then left Division II to coach Drake last year, where he led the Bulldogs to the NCAA tournament in his only season at the helm.

When McCollum took the Iowa job, it became clear he wanted to hit the transfer portal to build his team. The 44-year-old relied on landing a few of his players from Drake, which became the nucleus of his team in Des Moines this season.

Here’s how McCollum built the 2025-26 Iowa Hawkeyes. 

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Iowa basketball depth chart 2025-2026

Ben McCollum completely overhauled Iowa’s roster this season, as just two players on this year’s team also played for the Hawkeyes last year. Those players are Cooper Koch and Jacob Koch, and both were largely depth pieces in 2024-25.

Cooper Koch played in 10 games last year, averaging 13.6 minutes per game, and has taken a huge step forward this season, starting 35 games while averaging 27.9 minutes per game. Jacob Koch, who is not related to Cooper, played in seven games last year and has appeared in five games this year.

The rest of the roster is new to Des Moines, either as transfers or freshmen. McCollum’s three key freshman recruits were Trey Thompson, Trevin Jrak and Tate Sage, and both Jrak and Sage have been part of Iowa’s reserve unit this season.

Ben McCollum’s son, Peyton, is also a freshman but is out for the season after suffering a foot injury in January. 

MORE: Meet Iowa star Alvaro Folgueiras

Iowa basketball transfers

McCollum relied on the transfer portal to bring in several players from the 2024-25 Drake roster. Bennett Stirtz, Isaia Howard, Kael Combs, Cam Manyawu and Tavion Banks all played for the Bulldogs last year and were key pieces in Drake’s NCAA tournament appearance.

Four members of Iowa’s current starting lineup played for Drake last year, with Howard coming off the bench in a key role for the Hawkeyes. While McCollum is in his first year with Iowa, he was able to bring over players with continuity from his lone season at Drake.

While Stirtz is the engine, the other four former Drake players are also very important. Banks and Manyawu have played in 69 and 70 games, respectively, over the last two years, while Howard has appeared in a combined 65 games. All three are being used in similar roles at Iowa as they were at Drake.

Combs, meanwhile, has taken a step forward with the Hawkeyes. After averaging 12.9 minutes per game in 31 appearances last year, all off the bench, he has started 31 of 35 games with Iowa, averaging 26.1 minutes per game. Matteoni, meanwhile, was redshirted last year at Drake and has played in 11 games this season.

McCollum also landed two other players in the transfer portal before the season, most notably Alvaro Folgueiras. The forward transferred from Robert Morris, played in 35 games this year and hit the game-winning three-pointer to upset No. 1 Florida in the Round of 32..

Additionally, Brendan Hausen joined the Hawkeyes from Kansas State and has played in 21 games this season as a backup to Stirtz.