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Today's modern era of college sports sees the rise of the transfer portal, NIL, and financial compensation coming more and more to the forefront. It's hard to blame the players for that. They bring in the revenue, so they deserve their fair share. That's how it should be. But every once in a while, a story about sacrifice for the betterment of a program comes out and reminds us of the good in college sports.
Following the Iowa Hawkeyes' heartbreaking loss to the Michigan Wolverines, head coach Ben McCollum went into great detail about some sacrifices made by Iowa's Bennett Stirtz and Tavion Banks to be with this program and help make it better than they found it.
“Some of them took shocking, shocking essentially pay cuts to come here, to represent Iowa and to lay a foundation. And I don't think people realize that. That team at Drake that we had was 31 wins. From a portal standpoint, that's a very expensive team. And they chose to believe in us, to believe in Iowa. I'm not sure that even from an external standpoint, fans quite can even understand why those kids would do that?
"You know, why Bennett Stirtz and Tavion Banks … would choose to come here when they had millions of other options and probably more money. But they chose to build Iowa and build this foundation for myself, for my team, for the players, and for the state of Iowa and the community.
I really want to make sure that they're appreciated, and hope that people understand how much they actually have given, legitimately given, to be a part of this. Given BACK to be a part of this. … That’s a big deal. I think in years coming, we'll realize how big of a deal that is," McCollum said about the sacrifice these two made to help Iowa basketball set a standard and a foundation.
It's hard to argue with McCollum's comments here, either. Bennett Stirtz and Tavion Banks have been the catalysts for the Iowa Hawkeyes in every way imaginable. These two make this team go and are setting the program and Ben McCollum up for future success.
Stirtz has been a star this year, averaging 20.5 points per game and being Iowa's go-to guy whenever they need a bucket. Banks has been his right-hand man, putting up 10.4 points per game with 4.7 rebounds and bringing an intensity on defense that sets the standard for Ben McCollum's expectations.
Amid the noise around players getting paid, the transfer portal running rampant, and all the chaos that exists in college sports, remember the good that is often happening right under our noses.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Riley on X: @rileydonald7
This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire : Ben McCollum on sacrifices Iowa basketball seniors made for program
Continue reading...
Following the Iowa Hawkeyes' heartbreaking loss to the Michigan Wolverines, head coach Ben McCollum went into great detail about some sacrifices made by Iowa's Bennett Stirtz and Tavion Banks to be with this program and help make it better than they found it.
“Some of them took shocking, shocking essentially pay cuts to come here, to represent Iowa and to lay a foundation. And I don't think people realize that. That team at Drake that we had was 31 wins. From a portal standpoint, that's a very expensive team. And they chose to believe in us, to believe in Iowa. I'm not sure that even from an external standpoint, fans quite can even understand why those kids would do that?
"You know, why Bennett Stirtz and Tavion Banks … would choose to come here when they had millions of other options and probably more money. But they chose to build Iowa and build this foundation for myself, for my team, for the players, and for the state of Iowa and the community.
I really want to make sure that they're appreciated, and hope that people understand how much they actually have given, legitimately given, to be a part of this. Given BACK to be a part of this. … That’s a big deal. I think in years coming, we'll realize how big of a deal that is," McCollum said about the sacrifice these two made to help Iowa basketball set a standard and a foundation.
It's hard to argue with McCollum's comments here, either. Bennett Stirtz and Tavion Banks have been the catalysts for the Iowa Hawkeyes in every way imaginable. These two make this team go and are setting the program and Ben McCollum up for future success.
Stirtz has been a star this year, averaging 20.5 points per game and being Iowa's go-to guy whenever they need a bucket. Banks has been his right-hand man, putting up 10.4 points per game with 4.7 rebounds and bringing an intensity on defense that sets the standard for Ben McCollum's expectations.
Amid the noise around players getting paid, the transfer portal running rampant, and all the chaos that exists in college sports, remember the good that is often happening right under our noses.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Riley on X: @rileydonald7
This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire : Ben McCollum on sacrifices Iowa basketball seniors made for program
Continue reading...
