After guiding Iowa basketball to the verge of its first Final Four appearance since 1980, senior guard Bennett Stirtz pondered his Hawkeye legacy.
“Yeah, you can’t really control what anyone else is going to say about you, but hopefully it’s good. I just gave it my all in this Hawkeye uniform. But I just hope that they have continued success, and that’s all I want for them. They will do just that. I don’t know, it’s hard to put everything into words right now, but, yeah, I gave it my all, and we all gave it our all, and it was a fun run,” Stirtz said.
While not quite enough to will the Hawkeyes to victory in Saturday’s game against the Fighting Illini, Stirtz led Iowa’s offense with 24 points on 8-of-17 shooting, 4-for-11 from 3-point territory, and 4-for-4 at the free-throw line. Stirtz also added three rebounds and three assists in a complete 40-minute showing. The performance was enough to land Stirtz on the South All-Region Team.
When asked about what he believes will be viewed as a defining trait of his career that includes 133 consecutive games played across his time at Northwest Missouri State, Drake, and Iowa, Stirtz instead gave praise to the numerous coaches and teammates that helped elevate his game at the perfect moments to allow him to shine.
“I’ll just always remember the people around me and the support I always had. This wouldn’t have been possible without everyone in my corner and all these teammates that I’ve had throughout the years. So it’s a testament to them, and it’s a testament to Coach Mac and all the coaches that I’ve had throughout my four years,” Stirtz said. “So couldn’t have done it without them and they just put me in the right spots.”
In his two Division I seasons at Drake and Iowa, Stirtz finishes averaging 19.5 points, 5.0 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game on 48.7% field goal shooting, 37.2% 3-point shooting and 82% from the free-throw line.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews
This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Bennett Stirtz ponders Iowa basketball legacy
Reporting by Scout Springgate, Hawkeyes Wire / Hawkeyes Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
