Iowa basketball transfer Bennett Stirtz among early ESPN 2026 NBA draft mock
With new head coach Ben McCollum and a slew of new players, it looks like Hawkeye fans will be treated to an electric year at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. And according to ESPN NBA draft insiders Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo, Iowa fans may get to see a future NBA first-round pick this season.
Givony and Woo released their early 2026 NBA mock draft on Friday and a new Hawk made his way onto the list: Bennett Stirtz. If drafted, he would become only the eighth Hawkeye since 2000 to hear his name called during the NBA Draft.
Stirtz had begun trending upward in a real way with NBA scouts in March, where he played well in the NCAA tournament and drew first-round buzz. Considering the momentum he built, it was a surprise to see him completely forgo the predraft process this spring.
Instead, Stirtz will follow Ben McCollum, his coach at Drake and Division II Northwest Missouri State before that, to Iowa, where he will have the keys to the offense and a platform to further prove himself in the Big Ten. He's a terrific playmaker who figures to be among the top guards in the country. - Woo, ESPN
Stirtz's story has become very well known over the past few months, as he's followed McCollum from Northwest Missouri State to Drake and now to Iowa. Last season at Drake, Stirtz averaged 19.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 2.1 steals per game on his way to winning the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year. He helped lead the Bulldogs to 31 wins and their first NCAA Tournament win since 1971.
He joins an Iowa basketball roster that's a complete overhaul from the one that missed the NCAA Tournament last season, with only Cooper Koch and Jacob Koch returning.
In a highly competitive Big Ten, Stirtz will look to help lead the Hawkeyes back to the NCAA Tournament and past the first weekend for the first time in over 25 years. And in doing so, he could establish himself as an NBA first-round talent.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Zach on X: @zach_hiney
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Timberwolves' Joan Beringer reveals reasoning behind new jersey number
Rookie Joan Beringer will begin his career in the NBA with the Minnesota Timberwolves with a new jersey number after opting to change from the one he used in Europe. Beringer wore No. 20 both with Cedevita Olimpija in Slovenia last season and with Espoirs Strasbourg in France during the two prior years. He previously donned No. 18 while representing France at the 2024 FIBA U18 EuroBasket. Though No. 20 isn't currently occupied on the Timberwolves, Beringer opted to switch to play with No. 19 next season. He revealed after joining the team that there isn't necessarily any significant meaning behind his new number. Beringer helped Cedevita Olimpija win the Slovenian Basketball Cup last season, averaging 5.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks on 64.4% shooting from the field. He scored in double figures 11 times, including a season-high 14 points and 10 rebounds on May 27. The 17th pick made four appearances with the Timberwolves in the NBA Summer League, averaging 6.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 1.5 assists on 52.6% shooting from the field. He debuted with 11 points, eight rebounds and six blocks on July 10. Beringer will be the latest player to make the jump from Europe to the NBA. The organization was excited to add him through the draft and is eager to see him take the court next season. Note: Throughout August, Rookie Wire is looking at every first-round pick and why each player selected their respective jersey number as they make the jump to the NBA. Previous: Cooper Flagg | Dylan Harper | VJ Edgecombe | Kon Knueppel | Ace Bailey | Tre Johnson | Jeremiah Fears | Egor Dёmin | Collin Murray-Boyles | Khaman Maluach | Cedric Coward | Noa Essengue | Derik Queen | Carter Bryant | Thomas Sorber | Yang Hansen
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Kalen DeBoer updates status of two injured Alabama starting linemen
According to head coach Kalen DeBoer, a pair of starting Alabama Crimson Tide linemen have missed the program's second consecutive scrimmage of fall camp. Those players are offensive guard Jaeden Roberts and defensive tackle James Smith, both of which are dealing with injuries leading up to Alabama's season opener at Florida State on Saturday, Aug. 30, according to DeBoer. DeBoer also recently gave an update on the status of both following the Crimson Tide's scrimmage Saturday, saying of the duo: "Two guys that didn't scrimmage today, Jaeden and James, same as last week," DeBoer said. "James has been working through and building up. Feel good about the progress he's had in the week of practice and with it being live. Needed to hold back there, but he's getting closer by the day." "Jaeden has a concussion, just to tell you what it is, and he's going through the protocol of that and hasn't done anything from a team standpoint. Starting to work back into that protocol, which included being out there today, but not to participate in the scrimmage." A storyline to monitor leading up to Week 1, if Roberts is unavailable for the season opener, then Geno VanDeMark would likely step into the starting role at right guard. If Smith is unavailable, then names such as Jeremiah Beaman and Edric Hill could see increased snaps at defensive tackle. Alabama will open the 2025 season Saturday, Aug. 30 on the road at Florida State. Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Caitlin Clark's boyfriend heartbroken over family tragedy: ‘I refuse to say goodbye'
Caitlin Clark's boyfriend, Connor McCaffery, is mourning the death of his grandmother. McCaffery posted a tribute to Marit Smaby-Nowlin on Saturday, sharing a photo of him with his grandmother when he was a young boy. 'I've been trying to think of what to say and I can't,' McCaffery wrote in the caption. 'It's impossible to put into words how much you meant to our entire family. I refuse to say goodbye, so until we meet again.' Advertisement Clark responded in the comments with several hearts and prayer-hands emojis. 6 Connor McCaffery shared this photo of him and his grandma on Instagram. Instagram/connor_m30 6 Caitlin Clark responded to Connor's comment. Instagram/connor_m30 Advertisement Smaby-Nowlin, 80, died after she was found unresponsive in Lake Vermilion in northeast Minnesota on Wednesday, according to the Star Tribune. Family members were attempting to revive Smaby-Nowlin when first responders arrived, according to the report. The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office told the Tribune that she died after being transported to Cook Hospital. 6 Caitlin Clark and boyfriend Connor McCaffery. Instagram/caitlinclark22 Advertisement 6 Connor McCaffrey and Caitlin Clark at a Yankees game last year. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST 6 Caitlin Clark and boyfriend Connor McCaffery. Instagram/connor_m30 She was the mother to four daughters, including Margaret, McCaffery's mom, who was a standout basketball player in St. Paul before playing at Notre Dame. Margaret married McCaffery's dad, Fran, the longtime Iowa head coach who's now the head coach at the University of Pennsylvania. Advertisement Clark, the Indiana Fever star, and McCaffery celebrated their two-year anniversary in April. 6 Connor McCaffery playing basketball for Iowa. Robert Sabo for the NY POST 'Another year with my favorite person :) I'm so thankful for you 🖤🖤,' Clark wrote on Instagram at the time. The couple met while they were basketball players at Iowa. McCaffery is currently an assistant coach for the Butler men's basketball program. He worked for the NBA's Pacers as a basketball development coordinator during the 2023-24 season.
