Iowa City Today

University of Iowa senior Bennett Stirtz has been named to the 2026 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division I Player of the Year Preseason Watch List, according to an announcement by the NABC on Thursday.

Stirtz was also chosen as a preseason second-team All-American by the Field of 68. This marks his third preseason All-America recognition, following selections by CBS Sports (second team) and the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook (fourth team). He is also included on the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Watch List and has been recognized as a preseason All-Big Ten selection by Blue Ribbon, USA Today Network, and in a media vote organized by the league office.

Stirtz, who is entering his first season with Iowa, previously played at Drake during the 2024-25 season. There he earned All-American honors from three different outlets and was awarded both Missouri Valley Conference Larry Bird Player of the Year and Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Year. He led the conference in scoring with an average of 19.2 points per game, steals at 2.21 per game, and had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.86. Stirtz ranked second in assists with 5.7 per game and led all NCAA players in minutes played, averaging just over 39 minutes per contest.

Stirtz is one of five players from Big Ten schools named to this year’s watch list, joining UCLA’s Donovan Dent; Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn and Braden Smith; and Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg.

The recipient of the 2026 NABC Division I Player of the Year award will be selected through a nationwide vote conducted among Division I head coaches after the regular season concludes. The winner will be announced during the week leading up to the 2026 Men’s Final Four.

Iowa's men's basketball team begins its 2025-26 season on November 4 against Robert Morris at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tickets for both season and single games are available online at hawkeyesports.com/tickets.