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If it’s not a Drake-related dude, Iowa can still hire a capable men’s basketball coach
Just throwing names at a wall here, but it’s a sample of the many successful coaches out there
Mar. 18, 2025 3:48 pm, Updated: Mar. 19, 2025 10:39 am
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Picture, if you will, a future Iowa men’s basketball coach who never worked at Drake University.
Former Bulldogs coach Darian DeVries skipped right past Iowa and went straight to Indiana Tuesday. Current Drake coach Ben McCollum would certainly seem to be a possible candidate at Iowa given his track record over his career, and his first Bulldogs team being 30-3 and in the NCAA tourney with a game Thursday night against Missouri.
These openings can get twisty and turny, though. The nation has all sorts of coaches who would be good candidates for the Hawkeyes job if they and Iowa Athletic Director Beth Goetz wanted them to be.
To give you an idea, I’m naming seven. None are known candidates, and it’s extremely possible that none are on Iowa’s radar. This is nothing more than a sampling of who’s out there, and there are a lot more where these came from.
Bryce Drew, Grand Canyon: Drew, 50, has revived his career in Phoenix. His 5-year record at Grand Canyon is 120-39, and the Antelopes are headed to their fourth NCAA tourney in the last five years.
Drew had a very good five years coaching at Valparaiso, a not-so-good three years at Vanderbilt, was out of coaching for a year, and now has Grand Canyon running the Western Athletic Conference.
Chris Gerlufsen, San Francisco: Gerlufsen, 48, is 67-34 in three seasons at USF. His Dons were 13-5 in the West Coast Conference this year while living in the shadow of stalwarts St. Mary’s and Gonzaga.
He was an assistant coach to Todd Golden at USF, getting the head coaching job when Todd Golden became the coach at Florida. That’s worked out pretty well for the third-ranked Gators.
Ross Hodge, North Texas: Hodge, 44, has been the Mean Green’s head coach for two years and is 43-23. It went to the NIT after finishing second to Memphis in the 13-team American Athletic Conference.
Hodge was on Grant McCasland’s coaching staffs at Arkansas State and North Texas before McCasland went to Texas Tech in 2023 and Hodge got promoted. That’s worked out pretty well for both schools. Texas Tech is ranked No. 9.
Alan Huss, High Point: Huss, 46, has the High Point Panthers in the NCAA tournament with a 29-5 record and a two-year mark of 56-14 and two first-place finishes in the Big South.
Huss was an assistant to Greg McDermott at Creighton from 2017 to 2023. He played at Creighton from 1997 to 2001.
Ryan Odom, VCU: Odom, 50, is on his third school as a head coach since 2021.
He was at Maryland Baltimore County from 2016 to 2021. In 2018, UMBC became the first No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1 in NCAA tournament history, beating Virginia, 74-54. Then Odom coached for two years at Utah State, with the second team going 26-8.
Odom is 52-20 in two years at VCU, which won the Atlantic 10 Conference tourney and is in the NCAA tourney this week.
Takayo Siddle, UNC Wilmington: Siddle, 38, has been the head coach for five years at UNCW. He has the Seahawks in the NCAA tourney with a 27-7 record, and they are 99-38 over the last four seasons.
Siddle has major-college experience, with three years as an assistant at North Carolina State.
In December 2023, UNCW won at then-No. 12 Kentucky, 80-73. Coincidentally, Siddle played for Gardner-Webb when it won at Kentucky in 2007.
Tony Skinn, George Mason: Skinn, 42, played at George Mason. He was an assistant at Maryland before becoming the head coach at his alma mater two years ago.
Skinn’s record at GMU is 46-20. The Patriots were 15-3 in the Atlantic 10 this season. They lost to VCU in the A-10 tournament title game.
See, lots of good coaches out there. Iowa State got one four years ago. Drake got one in McCollum when its previous good coach, DeVries, left. Iowa can do it, too.
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