Stirtz, who was on the staff at Northwest Missouri State in Division II alongside head coach Ben McCollum just two years ago, said he never could have imagined going from that moment to having the opportunity to help propel Iowa to its first Final Four since 1980.
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“Not at all. Honestly, after my college career, I’ll remember it, but right now, I know it sounds cliché, but just focus on the moment right now, and don’t look at the past, don’t look at the future, just put one foot in front of the other right now and, honestly, you’re done celebrating and you’re on to the next one,” Stirtz said.
While it has been a shocking NCAA tournament for many, Stirtz isn’t interested in the Cinderella nickname.
“You can’t control what other people are going to say about us. We’re just focused on what we can do, and I think it’s a testament to how we play and how hard we play and how hard our coaches train us. I think the recruits that we’re recruiting should consider that and it’s super fun to play here and why not.
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“Why wouldn’t we want to win a bunch of games and make long runs in the tournament? This is just the beginning and he’s going to keep it up and we’re going to keep it up this year,” Stirtz said.
Iowa is the lowest-ranked Big Ten team to ever reach the Elite Eight since qualifying began in 1979. The Hawkeyes will look to keep the magic going when they take on third-seeded Illinois (27-8, 15-5 Big Ten) in their Elite Eight matchup at 5:09 p.m. CT on TBS and truTV Saturday night.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Bennett Stirtz experiences magical Iowa basketball moment