Bennett Stirtz Drafted 16th Overall in 2026 NBA Draft

Former Iowa Hawkeye Bennett Stirtz saw his NBA Draft dreams come true Tuesday night.

Bennett Stirtz Drafted in the First Round

The Des Moines Register reports that Iowa star point guard Bennett Stirtz was drafted 16th overall in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft. He was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies, but then traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Sources say that Stirtz was aware that the trade was happening. Stirtz becomes the first Hawkeye selected in the first round of the NBA Draft since Keegan Murray in 2022 and Kris Murray in 2023.

From Division II to the NBA

The Register points out that Stirtz is one of the best stories of this year's first round selections. He began his career playing Division II basketball for Ben McCollum at Northwest Missouri State. He then traveled to Drake and finally to Iowa City for his senior season with the Iowa Hawkeyes. All he did there was play nearly every minute of every game, and help lead Iowa to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament.

At last night's NBA Draft, Stirtz wore a suit coat that represented all the teams he played for in his basketball career.

Former Iowa State Cyclone Drafted

The Register also reports that former Iowa State star Joshua Jefferson was drafted 28th overall in the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was then traded to the Brooklyn Nets.

The Most Popular Outdoor Midwest Water Parks to Visit This Summer

To put together our list of the most popular water parks, we took a look at parks with a 4.4-star or higher rating on Google and 500 or more total reviews (additional water parks with 4+ stars are listed at the end). Some of them are MASSIVE water parks with a seemingly endless number of slides and attractions, while others are small (but very nice!) aquatic parks run by city governments. Whatever type of park you're looking for, you have plenty of options!

Gallery Credit: Courtlin