{
  "id": 12981848,
  "title": "Why Ben McCollum remained with Iowa basketball despite blue-blood interest",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/why-ben-mccollum-remained-with-iowa-basketball-despite-blue-blood",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-08T23:32:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/why-ben-mccollum-remained-iowa-233255171.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Ben McCollum, Iowa's head basketball coach, stayed with the Iowa program despite interest from the University of North Carolina. UNC, a prestigious blue-blood program, expressed interest in McCollum after Iowa reached the Elite Eight in 2021. The Tar Heels, seeking a new head coach after parting ways with Hubert Davis, reportedly planned to interview McCollum, but he declined the offer. McCollum stated on Oct. 8 at Big Ten Media Days, \"Like we've always said, we're pretty excited about the University of Iowa and what we can do. This really just fits who I am as a coach, where I can recruit the kids I want to recruit.\" In May, McCollum signed a new contract with Iowa that included a pay increase and extended his deal through April 30, 2032. Born in Iowa City and raised in Storm Lake, McCollum began his second season as Hawkeye head coach. North Carolina ultimately hired Michael Malone, an experienced NBA coach who led Denver to the 2023 NBA championship.",
  "summary": "Ben McCollum explains why he remained with Iowa basketball despite drawing interest from North Carolina.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}