Iowa Hawkeyes Star Guard Lands Major NBA Prediction

Iowa Hawkeyes' newest transfer portal addition is beginning to gain hype ahead of the 2025 college basketball season.

Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz (14) brings the ball up court during practice June 19, 2025 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Iowa Hawkeyes may have hit on another gem in the transfer portal with rising star Bennett Stirtz.

After making a name for himself with the Drake Bulldogs in the 2025 NCAA College Basketball Tournament, Stirtz would soon hit the transfer portal and land with head coach Ben McCollum in March. And while the acquisition of a talented guard was exciting for Hawkeye fans, Stirtz is slowly gaining national attention ahead of the 2025 season.

CBS Sports' Kyle Boone recently released a 2026 NBA mock draft last week, with the Toronto Raptors selecting the newest Hawkeye with the No. 10 pick.

"Stirtz broke out in a big way last season starring for Drake after transferring up from Division II Northwest Missouri State and is in line to be one of the faces of college basketball this season at Iowa," Boone wrote. "He led all of Division I last season in Win Shares (ahead of Player of the Year winner Cooper Flagg) and has the talent to be a scoring point guard who can win with feel and skill."

As the former head coach of Drake, McCollum was able to bring his best player over to Iowa, making him a perfect fit for the new era of Hawkeyes basketball. Stirtz finished his 2024 campaign averaging 19.2 points, 5.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game. His ability to be a facilitator and scorer will allow for Iowa to expand their offensive attack heading into the upcoming season.

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