By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Bennett Stirtz followed Ben McCollum from Northwest Missouri State to Drake, and then he followed him to Iowa.

But Stirtz admitted his journey almost got sidetracked by entering the NBA Draft.

“Yeah, it was actually a big decision,” Stirtz said Tuesday. “Bigger than people would have thought.”

Stirtz was coming off a season in which he averaged 19.2 points and 5.7 assists while being named the Missouri Valley Conference’s player of the year and newcomer of the year.

But when McCollum, who recruited Stirtz out of high school, was named Iowa’s head coach, Stirtz decided to follow him, while also considering whether to leave the college game early to become a professional.

In the end, McCollum and the other Drake players who transferred to Iowa convinced Stirtz to stay for a final college season.

“It’s just creating more memories with the guys,” Stirtz said. “There’s more of a team culture in college than what you get in the NBA, from what people have told me. So, just trying to enjoy this last year with guys that you’ll never see again if you go to the league.”

McCollum is convinced Stirtz will get to the NBA at some point.

“I think he’s as good as there is, but I’m not an NBA front office,” McCollum said. “I think he’s projected top 15 next year, but there’s a whole season to go.”

McCollum’s analysis? Stirtz will do well in the NBA.

“He’s got an elite IQ, very athletic,” McCollum said. “He can shoot, pass, dribble, do everything, run the show, and in the NBA, there’s more space on the floor, so he’ll actually be more effective in the NBA, because you can’t be as physical. And so I think he’ll be even more effective the higher the level.”

Stirtz has been effective throughout his college career. He averaged 12.6 points in his first year at Northwest Missouri State, an NCAA Division II school, then averaged 15.2 points as a sophomore.

The transition to a Division I school at Drake didn’t make a difference. Stirtz dominated the Valley, leading the conference in scoring, steals and assist-to-turnover ratio while leading the Bulldogs to a 31-win season that included a trip to the NCAA Tournament second round.

“He’s won his whole life,” McCollum said. “He’s won his whole career. He’s developed the right way. Honestly, some people’s bodies develop a little later. He came out of high school pretty gangly, and then eventually he just developed. A lot of your early draft picks are so physically developed. Now he’s just starting to hit what some people would be.”

McCollum said what Stirtz has learned in his system would also translate to the NBA.

“We run an NBA-style system from our ball screens from the things that we do, so that’ll help him,” McCollum said. “On top of all that, defensively, we were, what, No. 2 in the country in (scoring) defense. (Former Virginia coach) Tony Bennett said something the other day, I heard him say, ‘Hey, your job is to get yourself to the NBA. My job is to keep you there.’ What keeps you there is your defense. And he’s gotten so good defensively.”

Stirtz, a two-time All-State selection at Liberty (Mo.) High School, was overlooked by recruiters, but McCollum knew he had talent.

“I feel like when I was in high school, the coaches didn’t believe in me,” Stirtz said. “Luckily, Mac believed in me.”

“What really benefits me, he makes me look like I can coach a little bit,” McCollum joked. “But for him, I think it’s just understanding the system, he’s got a grip on it, and it took me a little time to figure out how to use him the right way, because he’s such an elite passer, where in the past we’ve had a lot of just straight downhill guards. Now we’ve got a guy that can also pass, shoot, move around a little bit, and it’s definitely been helpful.”

Stirtz knows there will be attention on him, given what he has accomplished, as he plays on a much bigger stage in the Big Ten.

“Keep your head down,” he said. “Not focus on any expectations from the outside.”

What comes next for Stirtz was on his mind at first before coming to Iowa, but now he’s pushed that away for a while.

“I’ve got this one last year, so I’ll look at (the NBA) after this season,” he said. “That will be down the road, but just trying to enjoy this.”

Photo: Bennett Stirtz (left) gave serious thought to entering the NBA Draft before deciding to join coach Ben McCollum at Iowa. (Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire)