Iowa has a real chance of having a first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
That is new Iowa point guard Bennett Stirtz, who comes to Iowa City for his senior season after being a third-team All-American and Missouri Valley Player of the Year as a junior at Drake.
Where do early 2026 NBA Mock Drafts project that Stirtz will land?
CBS Sports: 14th overall to Sacramento Kings
"The former Division II point guard will be following coach Ben McCollum to his third school next year and it's very possible Stirtz establishes himself as college basketball's pre-eminent point guard in the process. He's not going to win any combine contests and he'll be 22 when next season opens, but Stritz has NBA caliber positional size, an exceptionally advanced skill-set and an equally sharp mind for the game. "
"He's coming off a year at Drake in which he averaged 19 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds per game on 50/40/79 shooting and there's optimism he could produce at a similar level next season in the Big Ten."
NBA Draft Room: 11th overall to the Boston Celtics
"A crafty offensive talent who can play on or off the ball. Can really shoot the ball from deep and has an uncanny ability to get to the mid range. Is emerging as a high level NBA prospect and one of the best guards in the 2026 draft class."
ESPN.com: 15th overall
NBADraft.Net: 35th overall to Philadelphia 76ers
SB Nation: 9th overall
"Stirtz had a breakout year Drake to lead his team to an NCAA tournament win and emerge as potentially the country's best mid-major player. He had the talent to be drafted in 2025, but chose to follow his coach from D2 to the MVC to Iowa. He impacts the game in so many areas as a scorer, playmaker, developing shooter (39 percent from deep last year), and defensive thief who posted a huge steal rate. He's primed for a monster season."
Here are some of Stirtz's honors from Drake last season, via HawkeyeSports.com.
Field of 68 first-team All-America... Andy Katz third-team All-America... Associated Press honorable mention All-America... USBWA honorable mention All-America... NABC All-Central District first team... finalist for Lou Henson Award for top mid-major player... finalist for Riley Wallace Award as most impactful transfer... MVC Larry Bird Player of the Year... MVC Newcomer of the Year... MVC Tournament Doug Elgin Outstanding Player... first-team All-MVC selection... All-MVC Newcomer team... MVP Charleston Classic.... MVC Player of the Week (Nov. 25, Jan. 27, Feb. 24)... MVC Newcomer of the Week (Feb. 3, Feb. 10).... preseason All-MVC third team.
Iowa head coach Ben McCollum was asked earlier this week why he thinks Stirtz is an NBA guard.
"He's got an elite IQ. He's very athletic, he can shoot, pass, dribble, and do everything. Run the show, and in the NBA, there is more space on the floor, so he'll actually be more effective in the NBA. They actually call fouls, not that they actually don't call fouls in the college game, but they don't call fouls as much. I think he'll be even more effective at the higher level."
"I think it works for him that he's older. He's won his whole life. He's won his whole career and he's developed the right way. Some people's bodies develop later and he's a little later bloomer, too. When he came out of high school, he was pretty gangly, and then he just developed. A lot of your early draft picks are so physically developed, and now he's just starting to hit what some people would be as 18 or 19-year olds. Plus, he's learned the system, we've run in NBA style system with our ball scenes, with the things we do. That'll help him. On top of all that, we were defensively No. 1 or No. 2. When you go to the NBA, I heard Tony Bennett say it the other day, it was 'your job is to get yourself to the NBA, my job is to keep you there. What keeps you there is your defense.' Bennett has gotten so good with his defense."
If Stirtz is selected in the first round of next year's draft, he would be the third Hawkeye selected in the first round of the NBA Draft since 2022, joining Kris Murray and Keegan Murray.
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