Iowa basketball's Bennett Stirtz named to Bob Cousy Award watch list

Story byIowa basketball's Bennett Stirtz named to Bob Cousy Award watch listZach Hiney, Hawkeyes WireWed, February 4, 2026 at 1:40 AM UTC·2 min read

Entering the season, some people were concerned about how Iowa's big-name transfer portal additions would make the jump to the Big Ten level.

The most high-profile addition for Ben McCollum was point guard Bennett Stirtz, who followed him from Northwest Missouri State to Drake and then to Iowa. Despite having a ton of success with the Bulldogs and being named to numerous preseason award lists, there were still doubters about Stirtz's ability to do great things as a Hawkeye.

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Those questions have been answered very quickly this season.

Stirtz has been nothing short of spectacular in his first season as a Hawk. The senior is averaging 19.0 points, 5.0 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 49.4% from the field. He has the Hawkeyes back in the top half of the Big Ten, currently sitting at 16-5 overall and 6-4 in conference play. All of that has earned him a spot on the very prestigious Bob Cousy Award Midseason Top 10 list.

The Bob Cousy Award, named after the legendary Boston Celtic, is given to the best point guard in the country every season. Stirtz joins the following players on the midseason top 10 list:

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• Labaron Philon Jr.- Alabama

• Jaden Bradley- Arizona

• Darius Acuff Jr.- Arkansas

• Kingston Flemings- Houston

• Tamin Lipsey- Iowa State

• Jeremy Fears Jr.- Michigan State

• Braden Smith- Purdue

• Christian Anderson- Texas Tech

• Tyler Tanner- Vanderbilt

Stirtz is only the second Hawkeye to ever make it to the midseason top 10 for the Cousy Award, joining Jeff Horner. Iowa has had some great success with individual awards recently, most notably Luka Garza, who took home numerous accolades during his time in Iowa City. Stirtz is looking to be the next Hawk to win a major award, and the first to win the Cousy.

Any doubters about Stirtz's ability to make the transition to the Big Ten level have already been silenced. And they'll look even more foolish if he ends up winning the prestigious Cousy Award.

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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa basketball's Bennett Stirtz named to Bob Cousy Award watch list

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