{"id":4108,"date":"2026-01-12T08:43:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T14:43:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/?p=4108"},"modified":"2026-01-12T08:43:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T14:43:18","slug":"always-on-the-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/2026\/01\/always-on-the-go\/","title":{"rendered":"ALWAYS ON THE GO"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Ben McCollum\u2019s Journey from NIACC to the Big Ten<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"928\" height=\"612\" src=\"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-12-082311.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4109\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-12-082311.png 928w, https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-12-082311-300x198.png 300w, https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-12-082311-768x506.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 928px) 100vw, 928px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Ben McCollum \u20182001 has always been in motion. As a student-athlete at NIACC from 1999-2001, Coach Steve Krafcisin remembers him constantly attacking the basket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Years later, while McCollum was coaching at Drake, Krafcisin spotted him jogging outside before a game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAll coaches are a little quirky,\u201d Krafcisin laughed. \u201cBen\u2019s way was running.\u201d That energy defines him still. Even now, as the new head coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes, McCollum prefers to talk while running through Iowa City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think best on runs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>From NIACC to the National Stage<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After NIACC, McCollum transferred to Northwest Missouri State, where he helped the Bearcats reach the Division II Elite Eight. He returned years later as head coach and built a dynasty:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>4 NCAA Division II national championships (2017, 2019, 2021,2022)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>5 National Coach of the Year awards (the most in Division II history)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>395\u201391 record over 15 seasons<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2024, he took over at Drake. His Bulldogs went 31-4, swept the MVC titles, and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He was named Missouri Valley Coach of the Year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then Iowa called.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Lessons from NIACC<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At NIACC, McCollum scored 692 career points, hit 115 three-pointers, and earned two all-region honors. But he says the experience went far beyond basketball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAt a community college, you learn how to interact with everyone. I learned a lot from that experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s also where he began forming his coaching philosophy: \u201cJust try to be great each day. Get a little better today, tomorrow, and the next day. &#8220;The results will take care of themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Coaching in the Big Ten<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At Iowa, McCollum emphasizes two constants: effort and toughness. \u201cYou can\u2019t just be tough &#8211; it\u2019s like a muscle. You have to work on it every day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His goals aren\u2019t built on win totals, but on daily improvement. The results, he insists, will follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Coming Full Circle<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From Storm Lake to NIACC to Carver- Hawkeye Arena, McCollum\u2019s journey has been improbable and inspiring. \u201cWhen you say it out loud, it\u2019s a pretty wild progression. But my family always believed in me. That belief carried me through.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Coach Krafcisin couldn\u2019t be prouder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTo be at Iowa &#8211; it\u2019s hard to believe. I tell people all the time, \u2018That Ben McCollum played for me at NIACC.\u2019 It\u2019s pretty neat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Advice for Today\u2019s Trojans<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As NIACC student-athletes start another season, McCollum\u2019s advice is simple: \u201cFind opportunities to give to the place you\u2019re at. My intent was always to make a place better. If you keep that first, you\u2019ll find joy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And yes &#8211; the tie tradition remains. At Drake, it was blue. At Iowa, it will be gold.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ben McCollum\u2019s Journey from NIACC to the Big Ten Ben McCollum \u20182001 has always been in motion. As a student-athlete at NIACC from 1999-2001, Coach Steve Krafcisin remembers him constantly attacking the basket. Years later, while McCollum was coaching at Drake, Krafcisin spotted him jogging outside before a game. \u201cAll coaches are a little quirky,\u201d [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":126,"featured_media":4110,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[144,146,148],"tags":[45],"class_list":["post-4108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-athletics","category-inspiration","category-niacc-stories","tag-featured"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.2 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>ALWAYS ON THE GO - NIACC Minute<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/2026\/01\/always-on-the-go\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"ALWAYS ON THE GO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ben McCollum\u2019s Journey from NIACC to the Big Ten Ben McCollum \u20182001 has always been in motion. As a student-athlete at NIACC from 1999-2001, Coach Steve Krafcisin remembers him constantly attacking the basket. Years later, while McCollum was coaching at Drake, Krafcisin spotted him jogging outside before a game. \u201cAll coaches are a little quirky,\u201d [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/2026\/01\/always-on-the-go\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NIACC Minute\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-12T14:43:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-12T14:43:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/01\/ben.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2370\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"864\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"arianschuessler\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"arianschuessler\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.niacc.edu\\\/niacc-minute\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/always-on-the-go\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.niacc.edu\\\/niacc-minute\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/always-on-the-go\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"arianschuessler\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.niacc.edu\\\/niacc-minute\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/187e5a4d3b8ef54b0830509014c470ca\"},\"headline\":\"ALWAYS ON THE GO\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-12T14:43:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-12T14:43:18+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.niacc.edu\\\/niacc-minute\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/always-on-the-go\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":456,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.niacc.edu\\\/niacc-minute\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/always-on-the-go\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.niacc.edu\\\/niacc-minute\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/9\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/ben.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Featured\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Athletics\",\"Inspiration\",\"NIACC Stories\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.niacc.edu\\\/niacc-minute\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/always-on-the-go\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.niacc.edu\\\/niacc-minute\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/always-on-the-go\\\/\",\"name\":\"ALWAYS ON THE GO - NIACC Minute\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.niacc.edu\\\/niacc-minute\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.niacc.edu\\\/niacc-minute\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/always-on-the-go\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.niacc.edu\\\/niacc-minute\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/always-on-the-go\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.niacc.edu\\\/niacc-minute\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/9\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/ben.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-12T14:43:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-12T14:43:18+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.niacc.edu\\\/niacc-minute\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/187e5a4d3b8ef54b0830509014c470ca\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.niacc.edu\\\/niacc-minute\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/always-on-the-go\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.niacc.edu\\\/niacc-minute\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/always-on-the-go\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.niacc.edu\\\/niacc-minute\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/always-on-the-go\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.niacc.edu\\\/niacc-minute\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/9\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/ben.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.niacc.edu\\\/niacc-minute\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/9\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/ben.jpg\",\"width\":2370,\"height\":864},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.niacc.edu\\\/niacc-minute\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/always-on-the-go\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.niacc.edu\\\/niacc-minute\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"ALWAYS ON THE GO\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.niacc.edu\\\/niacc-minute\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.niacc.edu\\\/niacc-minute\\\/\",\"name\":\"NIACC Minute\",\"description\":\"North Iowa Area Community College\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.niacc.edu\\\/niacc-minute\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.niacc.edu\\\/niacc-minute\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/187e5a4d3b8ef54b0830509014c470ca\",\"name\":\"arianschuessler\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b80c31b201cd07dfc0ab02fa019dc1b16f8e3ae9299771e301dd86d70fa7a695?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b80c31b201cd07dfc0ab02fa019dc1b16f8e3ae9299771e301dd86d70fa7a695?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b80c31b201cd07dfc0ab02fa019dc1b16f8e3ae9299771e301dd86d70fa7a695?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"arianschuessler\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.niacc.edu\\\/niacc-minute\\\/author\\\/arianschuessler\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"ALWAYS ON THE GO - NIACC Minute","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/2026\/01\/always-on-the-go\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"ALWAYS ON THE GO","og_description":"Ben McCollum\u2019s Journey from NIACC to the Big Ten Ben McCollum \u20182001 has always been in motion. As a student-athlete at NIACC from 1999-2001, Coach Steve Krafcisin remembers him constantly attacking the basket. Years later, while McCollum was coaching at Drake, Krafcisin spotted him jogging outside before a game. \u201cAll coaches are a little quirky,\u201d [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/2026\/01\/always-on-the-go\/","og_site_name":"NIACC Minute","article_published_time":"2026-01-12T14:43:17+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-01-12T14:43:18+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2370,"height":864,"url":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/01\/ben.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"arianschuessler","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"arianschuessler","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/2026\/01\/always-on-the-go\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/2026\/01\/always-on-the-go\/"},"author":{"name":"arianschuessler","@id":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/#\/schema\/person\/187e5a4d3b8ef54b0830509014c470ca"},"headline":"ALWAYS ON THE GO","datePublished":"2026-01-12T14:43:17+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-12T14:43:18+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/2026\/01\/always-on-the-go\/"},"wordCount":456,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/2026\/01\/always-on-the-go\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/01\/ben.jpg","keywords":["Featured"],"articleSection":["Athletics","Inspiration","NIACC Stories"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/2026\/01\/always-on-the-go\/","url":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/2026\/01\/always-on-the-go\/","name":"ALWAYS ON THE GO - NIACC Minute","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/2026\/01\/always-on-the-go\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/2026\/01\/always-on-the-go\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/01\/ben.jpg","datePublished":"2026-01-12T14:43:17+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-12T14:43:18+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/#\/schema\/person\/187e5a4d3b8ef54b0830509014c470ca"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/2026\/01\/always-on-the-go\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/2026\/01\/always-on-the-go\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/2026\/01\/always-on-the-go\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/01\/ben.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/01\/ben.jpg","width":2370,"height":864},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/2026\/01\/always-on-the-go\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"ALWAYS ON THE GO"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/","name":"NIACC Minute","description":"North Iowa Area Community College","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/#\/schema\/person\/187e5a4d3b8ef54b0830509014c470ca","name":"arianschuessler","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b80c31b201cd07dfc0ab02fa019dc1b16f8e3ae9299771e301dd86d70fa7a695?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b80c31b201cd07dfc0ab02fa019dc1b16f8e3ae9299771e301dd86d70fa7a695?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b80c31b201cd07dfc0ab02fa019dc1b16f8e3ae9299771e301dd86d70fa7a695?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"arianschuessler"},"url":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/author\/arianschuessler\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4108","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/126"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4108"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4108\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4111,"href":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4108\/revisions\/4111"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niacc.edu\/niacc-minute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}