Bennett Stirtz became the first former Northwest Missouri State basketball player to hear his name called in the NBA Draft on Tuesday night.
Stirtz, a two-time All-MIAA performer with the Bearcats, was selected by the Memphis Grizzlies with the 16th overall pick in the draft. His rights were then traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Liberty, MO native scored 945 points in two seasons at Northwest, guiding the Bearcats to a 60-8 record, two MIAA regular season titles, a pair of conference tournament titles, and two NCAA Tournament berths.
In 2023, Stirtz was named MIAA Freshman of the Year. He was All-MIAA Second Team both as a freshman and sophomore.
After Northwest, Stirtz spent a year at Drake University in Des Moines, IA lifting the Bulldogs to a program-record 31 wins and a victory over Missouri in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. He earned Larry Bird Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year accolades in his lone season with Drake.
His college career concluded at the University of Iowa, pushing the Hawkeyes to their first Elite Eight appearance since 1987. Stirtz averaged 19.8 points per game, named First Team All-Big Ten, and earned All-America honors.
Stirtz was one of 24 prospects invited to Brooklyn, NY to attend the NBA Draft in person.
