Loyalty to Iowa coach Ben McCollum runs even deeper than you think

IOWA CITY — You might know about the players who transferred from Drake to Iowa basketball , following head coach Ben McCollum to the Hawkeyes.

There are six of them, to be exact. One of those is star Bennett Stirtz, who has been with McCollum since the coach's time at Northwest Missouri State.

High school prospect Tate Sage was also part of the widespread movement from Drake to Iowa. He was signed to play for McCollum in Des Moines before flipping to the Hawkeyes.

And then there’s the coaching staff. You might know some of their stories, too.

Three of Iowa’s four assistant coaches came from Drake — Josh Sash, Bryston Williams and Connor Wheeler. Not to mention those in other roles, such as Jesse Shaw, Xavier Kurth, Jaran Richman and Jace Smith.

They all came from Drake. Kurth and R