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Drake PG Bennett Stirtz plans to enter transfer portal, commit to Iowa

IMG_6598by:Nick Kosko•about 17 hours•

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Drake point guard Bennett Stirtz is planning to enter the transfer portal and commit to Iowa, On3’s Joe Tipton confirmed on Tuesday. This comes on the heels of Ben McCollum leaving for the Hawkeyes as the team’s new head coach.

Stirtz spent just one season at Drake and now he’ll to Iowa City. Stirtz finished his junior season with 19.2 points per game, 4.3 rebounds per game, 5.7 assists per game, shot 49.8% from the floor and 39.5% from three-point range.

Stirtz was not ranked, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He played his high school basketball at Liberty HS (Mo.).

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

Bennett Stirtz commits to Iowa, follows Ben McCollum

With Stirtz in the fold, McCollum gets a big time scorer for his new Big Ten program. He could very well push to over 20 points a game next season.

McCollum will replace Fran McCaffery, who had been at Iowa since 2010. During that time, the Hawkeyes were able to the NCAA Tournament seven times. That includes three times in the past four seasons and they never made it past the Round of 32. The decision to move on from McCaffery also came following a season where they finished tied for 12th in the Big Ten standings and had a 17-16 overall record.

For his part, McCollum has been seen as a rising name in the college coaching ranks. From 2009-2024, he led Northwest Missouri State, a Division II program. While there, he had a 395-91 record, which is a .813 winning percentage to go along with four national championships. Those came in a six-season stretch that included a pandemic-impacted season in which his team was a favorite once again. Prior to that, McCollum was an assistant coach at Emporia State and Northwest Missouri State.

McCollum is an Iowa native, having been born in Iowa City and growing up in Storm Lake. As a player, he began his career at North Iowa Area Community College before making the jump to Northwest Missouri State. So, he has plenty of clear ties to the region.