Iowa basketball transfer Bennett Stirtz among early ESPN 2026 NBA draft mock
With the 2025 NBA Draft in the rearview mirror, it's never too early to look ahead to the 2026 draft and the potential that an Iowa Hawkeye is drafted.
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
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