Eye On College Basketball — Episode Summary

Episode Date: October 3, 2025
Hosts: Gary Parrish, with guest Cal Boone
Main Focus: Best Coaching Hires of 2025 & The Future of NCAA Recruiting Rules

Episode Overview

In this episode, hosts Gary Parrish and guest Cal Boone dig into the results of CBS Sports’ annual Candid Coaches survey. They discuss which programs made the best head coaching hires for the 2025 season, with a special focus on Iowa’s Ben McCollum, and analyze the college basketball community’s collective skepticism about the NCAA's new recruiting rules and salary cap. The conversation features direct insights from coaches and plenty of candid reflection on how well the college sports world can really play by the rules.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Best Coaching Hire of 2025

(01:14–12:21)

• Survey Results Summary:
  The CBS Sports Candid Coaches survey asked over 100 college basketball coaches which hire they believed was best for 2025.

  • Ben McCollum (Iowa): 25% of the vote
  • Will Wade (NC State): 22%
  • Sean Miller (Texas): 21%
  • Honorable Mentions: Ryan Odom (Virginia), Buzz Williams (Maryland), Nico Medved (Minnesota), Kevin Willard (Villanova), Ross Hodge (West Virginia), Alex Jensen (Utah)
  • Cal Boone’s pick: Darian DeVries (Indiana) — surprisingly, DeVries received at most one vote in the poll.

• Discussion of Ben McCollum’s Resume:

  • Formerly at Northwest Missouri State (D2): 4 national championships in 15 years, 395–91 record (81.3% win rate vs. Coach K's 70.7% at Duke)
  • Transitioned to Drake for the 2024–25 season: 31–4 record, beat Missouri in the NCAA Tournament
  • Now head coach at Iowa — viewed as the “hottest young coach” in the country
  • Coaches’ Reflections:
    • “It should have never taken Ben this long to get a power conference job. Just look at his record and accomplishments...” (08:37, Coach quote via Parrish)
  • Recruitment has changed: the focus is now on resources, not connections

• Cal Boone on McCollum:

  • Praises McCollum’s tactical ability, transition success, and fit at Iowa.
  • Notes that McCollum’s program boasts “one of the best half-court execution offenses in college basketball.”

• Surprising Omission:

  • Despite his record, Darian DeVries (Indiana) received almost no support in the coaches’ poll — something Boone finds odd “given the success Indiana has consistently had” (11:34)

2. Do Coaches Trust Each Other to Follow the New Recruiting Rules?

(12:21–35:22)

• Survey Result:

  • 89% of coaches do not believe their competitors will follow the new salary-cap-based recruiting rules.
  • Among high majors, nearly all respondents said “no”; only low and mid-major coaches provided some “yes” responses.

• Why the Skepticism?

  • Lack of confidence in enforcement—many coaches see little real policing or fear of consequences.
  • Wide disparities in budgets and resources between programs fuel the temptation to bend or break rules.
  • “If I follow these rules, I will get fired... because nobody else is following them. So I'll be outmanned year after year.” (17:17, Parrish)

• Coach Confession:

  • “I had one coach actually tell me... ‘I'm not going to follow the rules. So I assume nobody else is either.’” (17:17, Parrish)

• Current Revenue Sharing Model:

  • Each athletic department has a $20.5M cap; how it's divided across sports is flexible.
  • Football powers (e.g., SEC) will allocate most funds to football, limiting basketball payroll.
  • Non-football schools (e.g., St. John’s) can put more towards basketball — fueling budget disparities.

• Boone on Putting the Genie Back:

  • “It's very hard to put that genie back in the bottle. Once it has already been unleashed.” (29:11)

• Notable SEC Coach Quote:
  “A fair salary cap at our level should be around $8–10 million per roster.” (26:35)

• Realities of Enforcement and Consequence:

  • Coaches believe even if caught, repercussions are often minimal—“most of them either kept their jobs or got comparable jobs or in some cases even better jobs.” (17:17)

3. Will These Rules Last?

(32:25–end)

• Market Pressures:

  • Players and agents still expect last year’s wild NIL/transfer compensation.
  • Coaches cannot match expectations due to new limits, but “agents don’t believe you. I think you can.” (32:25, Parrish)
  • More offers under-the-table or “skirting rules” are expected.

• Predictions:

  • “The second Big Ten and SEC schools start actually losing recruits to Big East and A10 schools because they genuinely don't have the money… they're going to change the rules...” (34:04, Parrish)
  • The system is considered unsustainable; further adjustment is inevitable.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On McCollum’s coaching credentials:
  "Ben McCollum won a higher percentage of games at Northwest Missouri State, significantly higher...than K was able to win at Duke..."
  — Gary Parrish, (04:17)

• On the new recruiting landscape:
  "All of that recruiting experience I think has never mattered less than then it matters right now."
  — Gary Parrish, (06:44)

• On rules compliance realism:
  “If coaches were being truthful, most would say no. Right. And, you know, I think...if you ask the question this way, will you follow the rules?...the results would be somewhat close to what you got.”
  — Cal Boone, (16:52)

• On the system's paradox:
  "You get comfortable doing things you swore you would never do because you feel like it is necessary to survive. And that is the position the profession is in right now."
  — Gary Parrish, (34:04)

• On salary cap complexity:
  “In professional sports…the punishment is so severe you wouldn't even think about doing it...That might work someday, but this will not work. Not like this.”
  — Gary Parrish, (24:14)

• On VCU outbidding power schools:
  “VCU has more money than me right now...VCU got that kid and outbid schools from every power conference. Sammy Jackson had offers from every power conference. But VCU was able to put the most money on the table.”
  — Gary Parrish, (24:55)

• On expectation management:
  “[Players] watched [their] friend go get this money, and now [they’re] like, well, I want that money...and the players or the families or the agents are saying, I hear you, but I don't believe you.”
  — Gary Parrish, (32:51)

Timestamps for Notable Segments

• 01:14: Episode intro, Candid Coaches survey context
• 03:01: Cal Boone’s evaluation of coaching hires
• 04:17: Detailed rundown of Ben McCollum’s record and what makes him special
• 08:37: Coaches' quotes on McCollum; impact and fit at Iowa
• 11:34: Discussion of overlooked hires (Darian DeVries at Indiana)
• 12:21: Transition to the “rules trust” survey and results
• 16:52: Coaches’ skepticism about the new rules; direct confessions
• 24:04: Comparison to professional sports salary cap enforcement
• 24:55: VCU as an example of budget ‘anomalies’
• 26:35: SEC coach's salary cap expectations
• 29:11: Boone on the difficulty of reining in spending
• 32:25: Realities of player/family/agent expectations
• 34:04: Market pressure and predictions for the next rule change
• 35:23: Lighthearted closing: Gary’s FaceTime story with a UConn/Yankees fan

Closing Tone

The episode’s tone blends data-driven analysis with candid, occasionally tongue-in-cheek commentary. Both hosts share a palpable skepticism about the NCAA’s capacity to enforce meaningful change under the new rules, and their perspectives are mirrored by the survey of coaches themselves—who seem to believe the new structure is destined for widespread circumvention or imminent adjustment.

Parrish’s conclusion: The new system is “a recipe for cheating” and is not sustainable—the coaches know it, and so do the hosts.

Quick Reference: Best Coaching Hires of 2025 Poll Standings

| Coach | School | % of Votes | |--------------------|--------------|--------------| | Ben McCollum | Iowa | 25% | | Will Wade | NC State | 22% | | Sean Miller | Texas | 21% | | Others (multiple) | (see above) | <21% each | | Darian DeVries | Indiana | ~0%* |

*Per the hosts, at most 1 out of 100+ votes.

Final Thoughts

If you want a deep and entertaining dive into the state of college basketball leadership and the roiling uncertainty around the sport’s new compensation rules, this episode delivers. Parrish and Boone blend sharp reporting, insider perspectives, and fan-level warmth—the latter especially on display in the personal story that ends the show.

Memorable closing message:
“You get comfortable doing things you swore you would never do because you feel like it is necessary to survive. And that is, that is the position the profession is in right now.”
— Gary Parrish, (34:04)