Hawkeyes buck the transfer trend: ‘That’s just the culture’

Its a tale as old as time: An unstoppable force meets an immovable object.

In pop culture, its Batman vs.

the Joker.

In football, its Bo Jackson vs.

Brian Bosworth.

In the college basketball world, its the story of Iowa mens basketball coach Ben McCollum vs.

the transfer portal.

Head coach Ben McCollum and forward Cam Manyawu #3 of the Iowa Hawkeyes interact with fans after his first win against the Robert Morris Colonials on November 4, 2025 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, in Iowa City, Iowa.

(Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images) At every level hes coached at, McCollum has won.

With Northwest Missouri State, he brought home four Division II national championships.

In just two years of Division I basketball, hes already coached two separate teams to Cinderella runs in March Madness.

And at each level, his players have followed him to the next.

He cares about you off the court, he cares about you on the court, guard Kael Combs said.

I think it was very easy just to make the decision.

After Iowas Elite Eight breakthrough cast a national spotlight on the Hawkeyes for the first time in years, McCollum and his players could have moved up again.

North Carolina was calling.

Lucrative NIL deals were there for the taking.

With over 2600 players hitting the portal this offseason, the average college basketball team could expect to lose about seven, or half their roster.

But Ben McCollum hasnt been building an average team.

When the portal closed, 10 of Iowas 11 players with remaining eligibility decided to stay put in Iowa City.

I wasnt surprised at all.

I knew all of us were coming back to be honest.

Thats just the culture thats been built here, forward Cam Manyawu said.

Culture is a mysterious term that lacks a catch-all definition, but is also integral to every successful program.

Having a good culture separates the teams that win from those that lose.

Its what makes some players stay and others leave.

What it actually means also varies person to person.

Ive been a part of this program for a very long time, Peyton McCollum said, making air quotes.

As the son of Ben McCollum, he knows his dads method as well as anyone.

This sense of family, friendship.

Those guys are always gonna have your back and also gonna hold you accountable.

Theyre not just gonna be there for the good times.

The bad times as well, he said.

Creating a dynamic like that also includes what happens off the court.

Kael Combs said everyone on the team has been getting together to watch Bennett Stirtz and Brendan Hausens NBA summer league games in the evenings.

Its awesome to be a part of a team of his and see how connected you become with your teammates, Peyton McCollum said.

Its not a program that you really want to leave, Koch said.

Everyone wants to come here, everyone wants to win.

After three schools in three years, Year 2 with Iowa is the smoothest situation Ben McCollum has had in some time.

He no longer has to convince his players to take a leap of faith and go somewhere new each season.

All he needs to do is convince them to keep buying in.

Yes, the transfer portal is an unstoppable force, a grim reaper that eventually comes for everyone.

But at least for now, the immovable object that is Ben McCollum continues to come out on top.

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