By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Ben McCollum won four NCAA Division II national championships coaching at Northwest Missouri State, then moved up to Division I and won 31 games and the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament titles at Drake last season.

His next challenge is here at Iowa, but, McCollum said on Wednesday, taking the step up doesn’t mean the championships will follow.

Moving up, he said during the Hawkeyes’ men’s basketball media day, means more distractions.

“I think that there’s a natural expectation that you’re just going to go win the Big Ten and it’s just going to show up because that’s what we did at the Missouri Valley Conference,” McCollum said. “I’m not saying we’re not going to compete and I’m not saying we’re not going to be there or be good. But it is hard to be good, and that’s where I think sometimes when you have those distractions, sometimes maybe your guys don’t understand. Like, no, it’s actually supposed to be hard. It’s supposed to be a struggle, and that’s the cool part about being able to win championships.”

McCollum’s arrival as the Hawkeyes’ coach last March has been a rebuild from the beginning. Only one scholarship player — forward Cooper Koch — remained from last season’s team, and McCollum had to put together a roster that includes six players who came with him from Drake and a mixture of transfers and incoming freshmen.

And while McCollum has been doing everything he can in public to win back the fan base that has slowly disappeared in the last few years, behind the scenes he has been trying to mold a team with an intensity that he thinks will get his players ready for a nonconference schedule with some challenges and the crucible of the 20-game Big Ten schedule.

“It’s more cranked up because we’re in the Big Ten,” said guard Tavion Banks, one of the Drake players who came with McCollum. “This is not the Valley anymore. It’s more so like, how we’re going to be in shape more than anybody else, or who’s going to be the toughest guy, or who’s going to do the small things and just who’s going to be disciplined, things like that. So I believe he cranked it up a notch.

“You know it’s expected every day, so you’ve just got to come in and do your job at the end of the day. Be ready.”

“I love that guy,” said freshman center Trevin Jirak. “He’s awesome. He’s a great coach, and you want to work hard every day to improve, but also to make him happy. So it’s a good feeling, but you also can’t be satisfied with that, you’ve always got to keep going. And that’s one thing that Mac has really installed in me and all of us — never be satisfied with where you’re at. Always keep going. You want to keep getting better every day.”

McCollum has made sure to make his plans public.

“I think the biggest thing that I want to do is, one, make the state of Iowa and the University of Iowa proud of the kids that we coach and proud of the toughness that they show and the communication and the connectivity that they show,” he said. “Then two, bring everybody with us in regard to that.

“I think a lot of times when you have successful, consistently successful programs, it’s not just the coaches. It’s not just the players. It’s the community. It’s the students. It’s the state of Iowa. It’s anyone that’s a Hawkeye fan. They rally and understand, hey, this is going to be hard and we want you to be a part of that, and we want to build it into something special where it can sustain success.”

That positivity on the outside is a plus, McCollum said, but he also wants an internal edge.

“They need to have a chip on their shoulder,” McCollum said. “You need to play with a little edge. I think that when you take over a position, there’s naturally a great deal of excitement, and I think if you’re not careful, it can create a sense of arrival.

“I’ve always worked better with a chip on my shoulder, like either doubted or whatever, and same with those guys. So it’s making sure that we continue to have that edge and don’t have a sense of arrival, more so than anybody in the league, that’s what we’re going to need to have to be successful in the Big Ten.”

Photo: Iowa men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum talks to the media during Wednesday’s media day. (Stephen Mally/hawkeyesports.com)