Video: Ben McCollum on his vision for the Iowa men’s basketball program
Iowa basketball coach Ben McCollum discusses a variety of topics at his introductory press conference on March 25, 2025.
IOWA CITY — Bennett Stirtz will no longer test NBA Draft waters and is turning his full focus to preparing for his senior season with Iowa basketball, he told the Register Thursday.
Eliot Clough of Rivals was the first to report the development.
Stirtz previously planned to go through the pre-2025 NBA Draft process while maintaining his college eligibility with the intention of playing for the Hawkeyes next season.
But those plans have changed.
Stirtz has now elected not to go through the draft process, allowing him to turn his full attention to Iowa basketball. Stirtz said he didn’t want to have one foot in and one foot out during the process.
The 6-foot-4 guard has risen through the ranks with head coach Ben McCollum, starting at Division II Northwest Missouri State, then Drake and now at Iowa.
As a junior, Stirtz had his best season and was named Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year. He averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game for the Bulldogs. He also shot 39.5% from deep.
He only failed to score in double figures twice in his 35 appearances for the Bulldogs and racked up at least 25 points seven times. Stirtz had a 30-point, 12-assist, five-rebound outing against the University of Illinois Chicago in January.
Stirtz was one of the central figures as Drake’s national profile rose after knocking off 6-seed Missouri in the NCAA Tournament. He scored 21 points in the win.
With an Iowa roster still taking shape, Stirtz gives McCollum a centerpiece.
“If he’s not the best point guard in the country, he’s top two or three,” McCollum said of Stirtz. “So that’s pretty good fit right there.”
Stirtz is not the only former Bulldog to follow McCollum to Iowa. On Wednesday, Cam Manyawu and Kael Combs publicly announced their commitments to the Hawkeyes. Manyawu started all 35 games and was the leading rebounder on a Drake team that went 31-4. Combs appeared in 31 games, all off the bench.
Stirtz was already expected to play for Iowa next season, but now the professional route is officially off the table and he can turn his full attention to the 2025-26 season.
Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com
