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Bennett Stirtz named to Cousy Award Watch List

On3 imageby: Tom Kakert5 hours agoHawkeyeReport
Iowa G Bennett Stirtz
Julia Hansen | Iowa City Press-Citizen | USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

University of Iowa senior Bennett Stirtz has been named to the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Preseason Top 20 Watch List, the announcement was made Monday by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.   

Stirtz is the fourth Hawkeye to be named to the Cousy Award Watch List, joining Jeff Horner (2006), Mike Gesell (2016) and Jordan Bohannon (2018).

The Liberty, Missouri, native has also been named a preseason All-American by both CBS Sports (second team) and the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook (fourth team).  He is also a preseason All-Big Ten selection by Blue Ribbon, USA Today Network and in a media vote by the league office.

Stirtz, who is in his first season as a Hawkeye, was an All-American by three outlets during the 2024-25 season at Drake.  He was also tabbed as the Missouri Valley Conference Larry Bird Player of the Year and Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Year.

He led the MVC in scoring (19.2), steals (2.21) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.86), while ranking second in assists (5.7).  He also led the NCAA in minutes played, averaging 39:22 per game.

Stirtz is one of four Big Ten Conference players among the 20-player list along with Purdue’s Braden Smith, the 2025 award recipient, Michigan’s Elliot Cadeau and Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton.

The Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year List will be fluid throughout the year before being narrowed to 10 players in late January with the final five finalists being announced in March.  The award winner and presentation details will be revealed at the Final Four in Indianapolis.

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