The dream run finally came to an end for Iowa on the doorstep of the Final Four. The Hawkeyes suffered a crushing defeat against Illinois. While the road to the national championship may have ended for many players, Bennett Stirtz is now looking toward a possible NBA future.
The point guard led the scoring against Illinois with 24 points. However, other Iowa players struggled to match his performance, and the team ultimately lost the game 71–59. Following the defeat, head coach Ben McCollum addressed Stirtz’s impressive college career, which could now lead him to the NBA.
“It was four years of work and being coached by me and earning his way to the NBA,” McCollum said. “He’ll play in the NBA. How ridiculous is that story? He was at Liberty High School and nobody wanted him, and now he’s gonna work his way into the NBA. It’s been fun.”
Ben McCollum on Bennett Stirtz:
“It was 4 years of work and being coached by me and earning his way to the NBA. He’ll play in the NBA. How ridiculous is that story? He was at Liberty High School and nobody wanted him, and now he’s gonna work his way into the NBA. It’s been fun.” pic.twitter.com/2WuFj3vACY— Eliot Clough (@EliotClough) March 29, 2026
The comment sums up the relationship between the coach and his player. Long before their March Madness run with Iowa, McCollum and Stirtz had been connected since 2022. The two first worked together at Northwest Missouri State, where McCollum built one of the most dominant programs in Division II basketball.
Stirtz later followed McCollum to the Drake Bulldogs, where he continued to develop under the same coach who believed in him when few others did. Their journey eventually led them to Iowa, where the guard emerged as one of the key contributors during the Hawkeyes’ deep tournament run.
For McCollum, watching the journey of his player across three different programs must be truly special. And if Stirtz does land with an NBA team, the Iowa coach will likely feel even greater pride. According to USA Today projections, the guard could be a potential fit for the Toronto Raptors.
Iowa may have fallen short of the Final Four, but the bond between coach and player remains one of the most compelling stories of the season. And if McCollum is right, Stirtz’s “ridiculous” journey may still have another chapter waiting at the NBA level.