Stirtz hopes the 2025-26 Hawkeyes set the foundation for the future of Iowa basketball through what he and his teammates call "McCollum culture."
HOUSTON - As Illinois fans celebrated their first Final Four appearance in 21 years, KCCI reporter Shannon Ehrhardt caught the other side of March.
Bennett Stirtz, who rarely shows emotion on the basketball court, walked off the Toyota Center floor with his jersey pulled over his face. His Iowa men's basketball team was 12 points away from the Final Four, but in reality, the Hawkeyes were much closer than that.
Iowa and Illinois traded buckets for most of the night, but the Fighting Illini simply overwhelmed the Hawkeyes in the final six minutes. Though roughly 20 minutes had passed since the final buzzer had sounded, Stirtz's emotions were still present in the postgame locker room availability.
Yes, Stirtz's eyes were slightly red and puffy, but he occasionally sported a smile. Why? Because he was proud of what he and his teammates accomplished.
Nobody (including most of its own fans) expected Iowa to make it this far, but it did. And just playing in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament alone was a fever dream for Stirtz. He began his career at the Division II level before making the trek to Drake and finally to Iowa.
It's safe to say that dream came true. Stirtz dropped 24 points in his final collegiate game, his 25th time leading the Hawkeyes in scoring this year.
"I dreamed of playing college basketball when I was that little but never really thought it was going to come out and be true," Stirtz said. "So I'm super grateful for this ride."
Stirtz's remarkable college career has taken him to three cities in four years, but the lone constant in those four seasons has been his coach - Ben McCollum. Stirtz has talked endlessly about the pair's close relationship throughout the NCAA tournament, but now that it's over, Stirtz revealed the secret behind Iowa's unlikely run - something called "McCollum culture."
What is "McCollum culture?" According to Stirtz, it's setting an example for his younger teammates, and its something he feels like he and fellow seniors Tavion Banks and Brendan Hausen accomplished.
"It's not about yourself. If you're selfish, you should not be in this program. It's bigger than basketball," Stirtz said.
"The journey that we've taken is a little ridiculous, to be honest," McCollum said. "If you think about it, we were just in Maryville, Missouri. Now we're playing in the Elite Eight, almost had the Final Four."
The goal of taking the Hawkeyes to their first Final Four in 46 years may not have been completed, but Stirtz's goal of helping lay the foundation for a new, successful era of Iowa basketball certainly is.
"I feel like people are excited and they want to come play for the Hawkeyes now. I mean, if you're a recruit you should be excited, and should want to come and play for Coach Mac," Stirtz said. "He's [McCollum] a winner. And if you want to win games, obviously you should come and play here."
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