A year ago, Bennett Stirtz was a guard at Northwest Missouri State, fresh off a loss to Minnesota State in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division II men’s basketball tournament.
Nearly a year to the date since the Sweet 16 loss, Stirtz made history for the Drake men’s basketball team in the NCAA Tournament, helping the Bulldogs defeat the Missouri Tigers, 67-57, on Thursday to advance past the first round for the first time since 1971.
Stirtz led the Bulldogs with 21 points and four assists. He missed just three shots in the entire game, netting all three of his 3-point attempts.
“He’s obviously a really good player,” said Ben McCollum, who coached him at Northwest Missouri state before becoming the coach at Drake, said post-game. “Outside of that, he works with a level of humility, and his teammates allow him to be great. That’s the big part of it; his teammates allow him to be exactly what he’s supposed to be.”
Where did Bennett Stirtz go to high school?
Stirtz grew up in Liberty, Missouri, a town of about 30,000 located 20 minutes north of Kansas City. He attended Liberty High School, where he played under his father, Roger Stirtz, one of the school’s winningest coaches. As a junior, he led the Blue Jays to a second-place finish in the state championship.
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By the time he finished his senior season of high school in Liberty, Missouri, Stirtz had no Division I offers and came to Northwest Missouri State where McCollum was coaching.
How good was Bennett Stirtz before Drake?
In his two seasons at Northwest Missouri State, Stirtz averaged 13.9 points, 3.4 assists and 3.7 rebounds, all while shooting above 50% from the field. He won the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Freshman of the Year award and recorded the most steals by any NCAA Division II freshman with 65.
Stirtz helped Northwest Missouri State to a 60-8 record during his tenure with the Bearcats.
How tall is Bennett Stirtz?
Stirtz stands at 6 feet 4 inches.
What has Bennett Stirtz done at Drake?
Besides helping Drake get to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in more than 50 years, Stirtz has made his stamp on the program and proved that he can play at the Division I level.
Stirtz won the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year and MVC Newcomer of Year awards and led the league in scoring and steals with 19.1 and 2.2, respectively. He also ranked second in assists per game with 5.7.
The 21-year-old delivered standout performances in multiple games against Power 5 opponents this season, including 20-plus point efforts in wins over Miami and Kansas State.
Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.
