IOWA CITY – University of Iowa senior Bennett Stirtz has been named to the 10-player preseason All-Big Ten team, it was announced Tuesday by the league office.
The Hawkeyes have been represented on the preseason All-Big Ten team in six of the last seven seasons as voted upon by a selected panel of media. Previous Hawkeye honorees include: Joe Wieskamp (2019), Luka Garza (2020), Keegan Murray (2021), Kris Murray (2022) and Payton Sandfort (2024).
Stirtz has also been named a preseason fourth-team All-American and a first-team All-Big Ten selection by the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook.
The Liberty, Missouri, native, who is in his first season as Hawkeye, was an All-American by three outlets during the 2024-25 season at Drake and he was also tabbed as the Missouri Valley Conference Larry Bird Player of the Year and Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Year.
Stirtz 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.
The 2025 Big Ten Media Day will be held on Oct. 9 in Chicago. Complete coverage of the event will be televised on BTN.
Preseason Player of the Year
Braden Smith, Purdue
Preseason All-Big Ten Team
Bennett Stirtz, Iowa
Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan
Nick Martinelli, Northwestern
Bruce Thornton, Ohio State
Nate Bittle, Oregon
Jackson Shelstad, Oregon
Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue
Braden Smith, Purdue (unanimous)
Donoven Dent, UCLA
John Blackwell, Wisconsin
This is the second consecutive year that Smith has been named Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year and the third straight year the honor has gone to a Boilermaker, as Zach Edey received the accolade prior to the 2023-24 campaign.
Smith, the reigning Big Ten Player of the Year and consensus First Team All-American, averaged 15.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4.5 rebounds a season ago before being named the recipient of the Bob Cousy Award, given annually to the nation’s top point guard by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In addition to setting a Big Ten record with 175assists in conference play, Smith became the only player in NCAA history to amass at least 550 points, 300 assists, 150 rebounds, and 75 steals in a season.