Iowa basketball star Bennett Stirtz has been performing at a high level since entering the college ranks.
He started his career at Division II Northwest Missouri State before moving on to Drake, where he made a name for himself during the NCAA Tournament. For his final year of college eligibility, he followed head coach Ben McCollum from Des Moines to Iowa City to join the Hawkeyes.
During his final year, he emerged as a superstar in the college basketball world, earning some serious consideration in the upcoming NBA Draft. Stirtz’s ability to thrive across three very different levels of college basketball has been noted.
Stirtz’s Draft Stock
The Hawkeye star is viewed as a mid-to-late first-round pick in most mock drafts. Here’s where a few mock drafts have Stirtz landing on draft day:
- ESPN- Miami Heat, RD 1, pick 20
- Yahoo- Detroit Pistons, RD 1, pick 23
- USA Today- Toronto Raptors, RD 1, pick 16
- CBS Sports- Toronto Raptors, RD 1, pick 19
- Tankathon- Charlotte Hornets, RD 1, pick 19
Stirtz’s Stats
During the 2025-26 season, Stirtz played in 33 games, scoring an average of 20 points per game while shooting 49.2% from the field. He is also shooting 37.6% from long range and 84.5% from the free-throw line.
Over his two seasons at the Division I level, Stirtz is averaging 19.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. Stirtz is a career 49.5% shooter from the field and has hit 38.4% of his total deep shots.
NCAA Tournament Performance
In the first-round victory over Clemson, Stirtz played all 40 minutes and scored 16 points on 4-for-17 shooting from the field and 3-of-10 from beyond the arc. He also pulled down five rebounds, had two assists and two steals.
Three of his rebounds were on the offensive glass.
Stirtz’s performance has put him in contention for the NBA Draft.