Top Iowa basketball transfer forgoing NBA draft, 'all in' on Hawkeyes
Top Iowa basketball transfer forgoing NBA draft, 'all in' on Hawkeyes
After committing to Iowa basketball with the intention of testing out the NBA pre-draft process while still maintaining his NCAA eligibility, senior guard Bennett Stirtz has now shifted his focus entirely upon this upcoming season with the Hawkeyes.
"I made the decision three days ago that I'm not going to. Ultimately, it came down to, I was talking to a lot of agents. Actually going through the process of hiring one right now. Coach Mac and my dad have gone through it a lot talking to other agents.
"They said you're going to have to go through it all in. You've got to be all in on the process. I want to be all in on Iowa, so I decided not to. And then, I want to be happy. And I don't think going to LA or going to Chicago (training), I'd be happy. Or mentally happy. I think I'm physically ready to go, just not mentally. So, yeah, decided to pull out of that and get ready for Iowa," Stirtz told Eliot Clough on the HawkCast.
The 6-foot-4 guard has risen through the ranks alongside head coach Ben McCollum, who both started at Division II Northwest Missouri State before moving on to Drake and now Iowa.
As a junior, Stirtz had the best season of his career and was named Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year after averaging 19.2 points on shooting 49.6% from the floor, 39.5% from 3-point territory, and 79.4% from the charity stripe to go along with 5.7 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game for the Bulldogs.
In his impressive 2024-25 season with Drake, Stirtz only failed to score in double figures twice in 35 appearances and posted at least 25 points seven times. Stirtz had two occasions where he posted 30-point outings, with his best performance coming during a 12-for-17 shooting performance with 12 assists and five rebounds against the University of Illinois-Chicago on Jan. 1.
Along with the program-best season under Ben McCollum, Stirtz was one of the central figures as Drake's national profile rose after knocking off No. 6 seed Missouri in the NCAA Tournament as he scored 21 points on 8-for-11 shooting from the field in the win.
Stirtz also scored 21 points on 9-for-19 shooting in the Bulldogs' second-round loss vs. No. 3 seed Texas Tech.
'If he's not the best point guard in the country, he's top two or three,' McCollum said of Stirtz. 'So that's a pretty good fit right there.'
With an Iowa roster still taking shape, Stirtz's decision to focus squarely on the Hawkeyes gives McCollum a centerpiece to mold the team around.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews
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