Bennett Stirtz Sends Message to Iowa's Next Generation Players

While he was only an Iowa Hawkeyes player for one year, Bennett Stirtz single-handedly helped turn this men's program around.

Iowa's women's basketball team has seen great success in terms of ticket sales, viewership, and deep tournament runs, but now the men's squad is joining in on the fun.

First-year head coach Ben McCollum brought a ton of players over from Drake. One of whom was Stirtz, who McCollum believed was the best point guard in the entire country.

Stirtz proved that this year and is now making a case for the next generation to make a name for themselves in the black and gold.

Bennett Stirtz Heavily Praises Iowa's Coaching Staff

Bennett Stirtz following Iowa’s magical run to the Elite Eight:

“If you wanna be a great point guard, you should come to Iowa. If you wanna be a great player, a great big, a great shooter, come play for Iowa. This coaching staff is the best in the country, so, why wouldn’t you?” pic.twitter.com/VFM4P7yHkn
— Eliot Clough (@EliotClough) March 29, 2026

"If you wanna be a great point guard, you should come to Iowa. If you wanna be a great player, a great big, a great shooter, come play for Iowa," he told Elliot Clough. "This coaching staff is the best in the country, so why wouldn’t you?”

Stirtz was able to play with Ben McCollum throughout his entire career, a statistic that is truly hard to believe, knowing how much they bounced around. What started at the Division II level turned into a partnership that made it all the way to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament.

Obviously, Stirtz had nothing but great things to say about this coaching staff. They allowed him to play 40 minutes all four tournament games, and Stirtz was a huge part of this team's success all year long. The Hawkeyes will be looked at under a different light now after this season and that's something Stirtz needs to take credit for.

Iowa Looks Ahead to Next Season and Beyond

Iowa HC Ben McCollu — Mar 26, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Ben McCollum reacts in the first half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the South Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

The transfer portal should certainly help this team recover after potentially losing its top two scorers. Stirtz is on his way out for sure, but Tavion Banks is still awaiting the result of a junior college lawsuit that could grant him another year of eligibility.

Either way, Iowa needs to plan for the future without both of those players. They have a big in Alvaro Folgueiras but quickly learned they need more than just him after his dreadful performance in the Elite Eight.

Iowa knows they'll be adding Ethan Harris, a 6-foot-9 power forward who committed on September 13, 2025. He's their lone commitment in the Class of 2026, so the portal will be a huge part of Iowa's success next year, as it was here in the 2025-26 season.

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