By SAM LANCE
A day after Ben McCollum was officially named the new head coach of Iowa, his star player from his time at Drake has followed him to Iowa City. Point guard Bennett Stirtz has entered the portal and will be a Hawkeye, per Jeff Goodman.
This season at Drake, Stirtz averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game to lead the Bulldogs to a Missouri Valley Conference regular season and tournament title. Stirtz also scored 21 points against Missouri to help Drake advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. In that game, Drake fell to Texas Tech to end its season. Stirtz had another 21-point outing with eight assists in the loss. Stirtz has played with McCollum every year he’s been in college, with the first two years being at Division II Northwest Missouri State. There, Stirtz was a two-time second-team all-league choice before winning the MVC Player of the Year this season. Per the Des Moines Register, Stirtz will test the NBA Draft waters but maintain his college eligibility for next season. The expectation is for him to use his last year of eligibility at Iowa. Photo via Sports Illustrated. Follow Sam Lance on Twitter Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram And Like ZAGS on FacebookStirtz told me that Ben McCollum’s system is perfect for him and that he also believes in loyalty and the opportunity that McCollum gave him when no one else wanted him coming out of high school. https://t.co/Sh0bI856eP
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 25, 2025
