Bennett Stirtz transfer, explained: Why Iowa star followed coach Ben McCollum from Drake to Hawkeyes originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Despite receiving zero offers to play Division I basketball, Bennett Stirtz is currently sitting in the Round of 16 with the Iowa Hawkeyes. After a journey that began playing Division II basketball for Northwest Missouri State, Stirtz has finally received the national recognition he sought after since the beginning of his collegiate basketball career.
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After two years at Northwest Missouri, Stirtz followed head coach Ben McCollum to Drake University. Stirtz and McCollum led the Bulldogs to a 31-4 season along with a Round of 64 upset against No. 6 Missouri. But the dynamic duo wasn’t done just yet.
The point guard and coach then moved to join the Hawkeyes to begin the 2025-2026 season, and now they’re set to play the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Sweet 16. This is Iowa’s first time reaching the Sweet 16 since 1999. Wherever Stirtz and McCollum go, they clearly bring success with them.
Let’s take a look at who Bennett Stirtz is and why he followed McCollum across the midwest.
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Who is Bennett Stirtz?
Stirtz is the starting point guard for Iowa. He is 6-foot-4 and is 22 years old, born on Oct. 3, 2003 in Liberty, Mo. He is currently in his senior year of college.
Stirtz has played two years of Division II basketball and two years of Division I basketball. In Division II, he played for Ben McCollum at Northwest Missouri State. McCollum then took a job to coach the Drake Bulldogs ahead of the 2024-2025 season. After a 31-4 season and a Round of 64 upset against No. 6 Missouri in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, McCollum took the Iowa Hawkeyes job, and Stirtz followed his coach once more.
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Where did Bennett Stirtz transfer from?
Before joining the Hawkeyes for his senior year, Stirtz was a part of the Drake Bulldogs team for the 2024-2025 season. There, he averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.1 steals, while shooting 49.8% from the field and 39.5% from beyond the arc.
Prior to following McCollum to join the Bulldogs, Stirtz was a part of his teams at Northwest Missouri State in Division II. Stirtz played his freshman and sophomore seasons there, where he averaged 13.9 points, 3.4 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.6 steals, and shot 53.9% from the field along with 37.7% from downtown.
Stirtz decided to follow McCollum because he knew how the coach ran his teams, where the point guard flourished. The coach and player duo worked their way up the ranks, from a Division II team, to a mid-major Division I program, and finally to a major conference in the Big Ten.
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Bennett Stirtz college stats
Across four years of NCAA basketball, Stirtz has only played two years of Division I basketball. He played Division II basketball for Northwest Missouri State before transferring to Drake. After a season there, he followed coach Ben McCollum to join Iowa.
Here are his stats from his four years of collegiate basketball.
|
Team |
Season |
Points |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Steals |
FG% |
3P% |
|
Northwest Missouri State (DII) |
2022-23 |
12.6 |
3.4 |
3.9 |
1.9 |
60.1% |
43.8% |
|
Northwest Missouri State (DII) |
2023-24 |
15.2 |
3.5 |
3.5 |
1.4 |
51% |
32.7% |
|
Drake |
2024-25 |
19.2 |
5.7 |
4.3 |
2.1 |
49.8% |
39.5% |
|
Iowa |
2025-26 |
19.7 |
4.5 |
2.7 |
1.5 |
47.8% |
35.9% |
|
TOTAL/Avg |
16.7 |
4.3 |
3.6 |
1.7 |
52.2% |
38% |
Where is Bennett Stirtz from?
Stirtz was born in Liberty, Mo. The Missouri native attended Northwest Missouri State in DII for two years before attending Drake.
After one year with the Bulldogs, Stirtz transferred again, this time to become an Iowa Hawkeye. He is 22 years old and playing in his senior year with the Hawkeyes.
