By Mallory Mattingly
Iowa Hawkeyes guard Bennett Stirtz hopes to leave a legacy of faith behind as his college basketball career comes to an end.
The ninth-seeded Hawkeyes lost to third-seeded Illinois 71-59 last week in Houston in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA March Madness tournament.
It was Stirtz’s final game in the Hawkeyes uniform. However, he led Iowa with “15 first-half points, shooting 6-of-9 from the field and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. He added two rebounds and two assists. Iowa shot 12-of-21 (57.1 percent) from the field and 6-of-12 (50 percent) from 3-point range, while going 2-of-2 from the free throw line. Illinois held an 18-8 rebounding advantage in the half,” the Hawkeyes reported.
Stirtz knows that the any success on the basketball court is fleeting, but his faith in God and what he does with that knowledge matters for eternity.
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“Knowing that I gave it my all and used my platform to give glory to God,” he told “The Walk” podcast about what he hopes he’s remembered for at Iowa. “I don’t know, we’re here for just a little bit. I like the Francis Chan rope analogy. It’s a rope that goes on forever, and there’s just a little part of it that’s red that he taped over, and that’s your life. We’re just saving up for retirement, or we’re just trying to have fun for this little moment, and then no one cares how we’ll end up the rest of eternity. So, trying to get people not to be in hell for eternity, just trying to get heaven as crowded as I can.”
After the loss to Illinois, Stirtz told the media that he isn’t hanging his head over the defeat because he knows that his faith in God matters most.
“Everything comes to an end at a point, and you just got to be thankful, and nothing’s going to satisfy you in life except for God,” Stirtz said, per 247Sports. “So that’s why I’m thankful that I put my trust in him. I don’t know how people who don’t trust in God and don’t have faith do it, because that’s who I lean on.”
Even though the Hawkeyes lost in the Elite Eight, the team is grateful, knowing that they accomplished a lot over their season.
“From our lens, this group’s done a lot for the University of Iowa,” head coach Ben McCollum said. “It’s always hard right afterwards because, as a coach, you think about what you could have done better because it’s just the nature of your mind. And you’re sitting there, man, I mismanaged this, I did this poorly, I didn’t do this, trying to put your players in the best position to win and, you know, you don’t feel like you totally did.”
No matter what happens next, Stirtz clings to the fact that “Money, fame and worldly things will never satisfy you. Only Jesus can,” per His Huddle.
As his college career comes to a close, the athlete leaves behind not just a strong performance on the court but a legacy rooted in faith, purpose and pointing others toward what matters most.
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