Iowa

How Iowa basketball navigated California trip to win Acrisure Classic

Published

7 months ago

November 27, 2025

How Iowa basketball navigated California trip to win Acrisure Classic

PALM DESERT, Calif. — It’s not just the loud moments from the trip to California that we can learn something about this Iowa basketball team.

Those are much easier to see. Bennett Stirtz’s 29-point outburst against Ole Miss. Cooper Koch’s emergence. Isaia Howard’s 19-point performance against Grand Canyon.

It’s also possible to learn something about the Hawkeyes in the quieter moments.

Head coach Ben McCollum shed light on one in particular after Iowa’s 59-46 win over Grand Canyon on Nov. 26.

Senior Brendan Hausen’s playing time so far at Iowa (11.1 minutes per game) looks drastically different from what it did at Kansas State last season (27.6 minutes per game). But Hausen, who transferred to Iowa for his last ride in college basketball, willingly gave up time on the court in the Hawkeyes’ first game of the Acrisure Classic.

Hausen was supposed to check into the game against Ole Miss. But Koch was playing so well that Hausen thought it would be better for Koch to stay on the floor.

“Brendan came back and he said, ‘Let’s just leave him in,’” McCollum recalled. “That’s a senior that’s played extended minutes at a high level that did that. I’m thankful for guys like him. We’re blessed to be able to coach guys like him (that) allows us to be great. His ability to sacrifice and everybody on this team’s ability to sacrifice is pretty special.”

Video: Iowa basketball celebrates Acrisure Classic title in Palm Desert

Iowa basketball defeated Ole Miss and Grand Canyon to capture the Acrisure Classic title.

That Iowa won the Acrisure Classic is not a monumental statement. It was just a four-team field, which required winning two games to be crowned the champion. But in McCollum’s first season as head coach, the trip to California helped peel back some layers back layers about who the Hawkeyes are.

After handling the first five games on their schedule with relative ease, the Hawkeyes faced some real adversity for the first time this season.

Ole Miss was the most formidable opponent that Iowa has faced to date. After a tie score at halftime, the Hawkeyes made the necessary plays down the stretch of the game to come away with the most notable win of the McCollum era so far.

Iowa played Grand Canyon the very next evening, which presented a challenge unique to Ole Miss. The Lopes had a strong contingent of fans, band and cheerleaders present. It was not the type of atmosphere that Iowa will face on Dec. 2 at Michigan State, but it was the closest the Hawkeyes have been to playing a road game this season.

Grand Canyon was the aggressor to start the game, building a 10-4 lead. But the Hawkeyes turned the tide, using a 9-0 run to seize momentum and never gave up the lead from there.

“They had a great crowd here,” McCollum said. “That’s what we said, hey, we’re going to treat this like it’s a Big Ten road game. And they jumped on us quick, just like could happen in the Big Ten. But how do you respond to that? How do you survive that? I thought our kids did a good job of surviving it.”

Video: Ben McCollum reacts to Iowa basketball’s win over Grand Canyon

Ben McCollum meets with media after Iowa basketball’s 59-46 win over Grand Canyon.

Iowa’s shooting during this two-game stint was almost as dry as the air in Palm Desert. The Hawkeyes went a combined 42% from the field and 34% from deep against Ole Miss and Grand Canyon.

And yet, the Hawkeyes still won both games.

They did so by taking care of the less glamorous, but just as important areas: Defense, rebounding and energy. Those are the types of things that are much more reliable to carry in March, rather than banking on shooting the lights out.

“Part of winning basketball is it’s not going to always look like it did the first game,” McCollum said. “Sometimes, it’s going to look ugly, and you’ve got to win ugly. That’s the best part about this team. Who can’t win when everything is going your way offensively? Who can’t win? Can you win when things aren’t going your way offensively? Can you survive with other ways? And our kids can.”

The Hawkeyes did it two time zones away from Iowa, playing games on back-to-back days.

“Most teams are like, ‘Ah, we’ve got to play back-to-back. Ah, my body’s hurting,’” said Bennett Stirtz, who played all 80 of the possible 80 minutes in Iowa’s two games in Palm Desert. “But not us. We kind of embraced the challenge. We’re like, hey, this is what we’re going to do. It’s here and we’ve got to play as hard as we can. Who cares about our body. We get rest the next couple of days. So we were just attacking it.”

Video: Iowa basketball’s Bennett Stirtz was named Acrisure Class MVP

Bennett Stirtz meets with media after Iowa basketball’s 59-46 win over Grand Canyon.

The trip to California gave the team time to spend with each other off the court, which included an unexpected celebrity cameo.

Brad Floy, the program’s athletic trainer, texted forward Alvaro Folgueiras after seeing golfer Jon Rahm at a restaurant. Rahm, who has won The Masters and U.S. Open, is a native of Spain, like Folgueiras.

“We talked a little bit about our Spanish roots, about our hometowns and life pretty much,” said Folgueiras, who is a notoriously bad golfer. “It was a short conversation. But I took advantage (to) ask him about some golf tips. So Iowa City better be ready now.”

Iowa’s successful outing in Palm Desert is not the end-all be-all — there is still so much season still left. But it was valuable for a team that is growing into what it wants to become.

“We definitely matured on this road trip, and I think we have a lot to learn from,” Kael Combs said. “It was definitely a good experience.”

Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com

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Iowa

Iowa High School Baseball Stats: Leaders On The Diamond This Summer

Published

9 hours ago

June 18, 2026

Press Room

Iowa High School Baseball Stats: Leaders On The Diamond This Summer

As we work through the month of June, things are starting to heat up on the diamond around Iowa high school baseball.

With the start of postseason play just around the corner in July, teams are working to get prepared for the stretch run.

High School On SI Iowa has a Top 25 state power ranking while the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association releases weekly class-by-class rankings.

Here are leaders as of June 17, 2026 for several major hitting and pitching categories. Stats are from those uploaded to the Bound website.

Iowa High School Baseball Leaders

Home Runs

Tru McBride, Fort Dodge, 9
Colton Roemmich, West Des Moines Valley, 9
Brandon Bea, Davenport North, 8
Kamden Jorgensen, Saydel, 8
Gabe Blanshan, Urbandale, 7

Running Batted In

Callan Koch, Sioux City East, 38
West Cole, Mason City Newman Catholic, 37
Tru McBride, Fort Dodge, 36
Chance Georgius, Roland-Story, 34
Ty Heydon, Coon Rapids-Bayard, 34

Stolen Bases

Aiden Ferry, Roland-Story, 38
Tate Garman, Algona, 33
Titan Foster, Nodaway Valley, 32
Tate Moulton, Grand View Christian, 30
Cael Wishman, Baxter, 29

Runs Scored

Cal Jepsen, Sioux City East, 45
Aiden Frey, Roland-Story, 43
Cal Heydon, Coon Rapids-Bayard, 41
Kolton Schiltz, Fort Dodge, 40
Colton Wight, Martensdale-St. Marys, 39

Hits

Colton Wight, Martensdale-St. Marys, 39
Cal Jepsen, Sioux City East, 38
Callan Koch, Sioux City East, 36
Ty Heydon, Coon Rapids-Bayard, 35
Lucas Kelley, Des Moines Roosevelt, 34

Doubles

Joe Nilles, Sioux City North, 13
Colton Wight, Martensdale-St. Marys, 13
Lucas Kelley, Des Moines Roosevelt, 12
Brett Harris, Western Dubuque, 12
Brooks Bond, Lewis Central, 11

Triples

Callan Koch, Sioux City East, 7
Will Nesler, Ankeny Centennial, 5
Jacob Pierro, Dubuque Wahlert Catholic, 5
Lucas Kelley, Des Moines Roosevelt, 5
Cal Jepsen, Sioux City East, 4

Total Bases

Colton Wight, Martensdale-St. Marys, 68
Tru McBride, Fort Dodge, 68
Bryce Pauly, Davenport North, 67
Cal Jepsen, Sioux City East, 65
Ty Heydon, Coon Rapids-Bayard, 62

Pitching Wins

Tyler Etten, Urbandale, 9
Chase White, Dyersville Beckman Catholic, 7
Colton Moffit, Baxter, 7
Connor Mullenbach, Saint Ansgar, 6
Aidan Nielsen, Don Bosco, 6

Earned Run Average (min. 18 innings pitched)

Connor Mullenbach, Saint Ansgar, 0.00
Luke Vestal, Pleasantville, 0.00
Ryan Stedman, West Des Moines Valley, 0.24
Will Litton, Iowa City Regina Catholic, 0.25
Judd Jirovsky, Grundy Center, 0.26

Strikeouts

Colton Moffit, Baxter, 85
Brody Wangsness, North Butler, 75
Lincoln Roethler, Denver, 71
Owen Klocksiem, Louisa-Muscatine, 67
Cooper Chizek, Emmetsburg, 65

Opponents Batting Average Against (min. 18 innings pitched)

Macklin Loftus, Logan-Magnolia, .017
Jack Wedemeier, Waverly-Shell Rock, .065
Teagan Brunk, Shenandoah, .069
Ryan Stedman, West Des Moines Valley, .072
Bronx Siebersma, MVAOCOU, .075

Saves

Beckham Simon, West Liberty, 4
Deacon Kucera, Cedar Rapids Kennedy, 4
Graham Rima, Pleasant Valley, 4
Gavin de Jesus, Waukee, 4
Easton Goodwin, Waterloo Columbus Catholic, 3

Innings Pitched

Colton Moffit, Baxter, 43
Tyler Etten, Urbandale, 38.2
Owen Galvin, Denison-Schleswig, 38
Tallon Crandall, Carroll, 37.1
Austin Remster, Melcher-Dallas, 37.1

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Rain brings second week of relief in Iowa drought monitor map

Published

19 hours ago

June 18, 2026

Press Room

Rain brings second week of relief in Iowa drought monitor map

Drought conditions in Iowa improved for a second consecutive week, though areas of moderate drought expanded in parts of the state.

The U.S. Drought Monitor offers a state-by-state tracking of drought conditions nationwide. New maps and forecasts are released each Thursday. What are the current drought conditions in Iowa?

U.S. Drought Monitor map: How much of Iowa is in a drought?

The latest Drought Monitor report, released on Thursday, June 18, showed about 46% of Iowa experiencing some form of drought. This continues the streak of conditions improving week to week in Iowa. The previous report, released on June 11, showed that 63% of the state was experiencing some form of drought.

The most recent report reflects conditions as of 8 a.m. June 16, right as storms were sweeping through Iowa, with parts of eastern Iowa seeing more than 2 inches of rainfall. Light rainfall on June 17 led to areas like Iowa City and Burlington reporting around an inch of rain.

Here is the breakdown of current drought conditions in Iowa:

61% of the state of Iowa is experiencing no drought conditions
39% of Iowa is experiencing abnormally dry conditions
7% of Iowa is experiencing moderate drought conditions
0% of Iowa is experiencing severe drought conditions

Even though drought conditions have improved overall in Iowa, the area experiencing moderate drought increased from the week of June 11, particularly in northern Iowa. Much of Cerro Gordo, Hancock and Kossuth counties are under D1 conditions, with nearby Palo Alto, Winnebago, Floyd and Mitchell also in moderate drought.

Pockets of moderate drought also persist along the northwest edge of Iowa in Lyon, Sioux and Plymouth counties. In eastern Iowa, Jackson, Clinton and Scott counties saw their moderate drought status ease week to week.

Most of the U.S. is facing drought conditions

About 73% of the U.S. is experiencing some level of drought, a 2-percentage-point improvement from the prior week. Some of the most intense drought conditions are in the southeast and the mountain west.

Iowa Drought Monitor tracks conditions weekly

The U.S. Drought Monitor offers a state-by-state tracking of drought conditions nationwide. New maps and forecasts are released each Thursday.

The intensity levels range from abnormally dry, or D0, to exceptional drought, or D4.

Typically with D0 conditions, corn can show drought stress. Pond levels start to decline under moderate drought conditions and soybeans abort pods, according to the Drought Monitor. The Drought Monitor also has a look-back chart that compares drought conditions from 3 months ago up to 1 year ago.

Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.

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Tornadoes reported in Illinois, Iowa as severe weather roils Midwest

Published

1 day ago

June 18, 2026

Press Room

Tornadoes reported in Illinois, Iowa as severe weather roils Midwest

Confirmed tornadoes were reported in Illinois and Iowa Wednesday night as severe weather descended on a large swath of the Midwest.

According to the National Weather Service, a confirmed tornado was reported near the small northeast Iowa community of Harpers Ferry at 5:10 p.m., while a second confirmed tornado rolled through Charleston in central Illinois at about 6:40 p.m. local time.

Both tornadoes were flagged by the weather service as a “particularly dangerous situation,” a rare designation used by the weather service for environments in which “strong and violent tornadoes” are possible.

Photos and videos obtained by CBS News showed extensive damage in Charleston, with downed trees and power lines. Hail that measured 2.75 inches was also reported in the Charleston area, according to the weather service.

“There are a large number of trees blocking roadways throughout Charleston at this time,” Charleston police said in a Facebook post. “Unless it is an absolute emergency, do not drive or attempt to go anywhere.”

The city of Charleston later declared a local state of emergency.

Damage after a tornado struck Charleston, Illinois, on June 17, 2026.

Cameron Craig

One cell phone video captured the terrifying moments what appeared to be a large tornado tore through Effingham, Illinois, located about 40 miles southwest of Charleston.

Larry Thies, coordinator for the Effingham Emergency Management Agency, told CBS News that initial information indicated damaged buildings, trailers, and downed power lines and trees. He said officials were working to set up an emergency operations center, but were facing challenges because internet was down in the area.

The extent of the damage to region was still unclear. There was no immediate word of injuries or fatalities. CBS News senior meteorologist Rob Marciano said there were at least seven reported tornadoes during the weather event.

According to utility tracker PowerOutage.us, at least 55,000 customers were without power in Illinois.

Earlier Wednesday, Marciano reported that more than 125 million Americans were facing severe weather advisories, including the Gulf Coast states, which were under flood alerts due to Tropical Storm Arthur. Speaking on “CBS Evening News,” Marciano said such ripe tornado conditions were rare for June.

“This is unique for June, this is unusual to have such a strong jet stream just screaming across the country, then you’ve got the summertime tropical moisture coming in…and then some cold air coming in,” Marciano said. “And winds coming at different direction, at different levels, creating that spin. So what that equates to is really the high probability of seeing, not just tornadoes, but intense tornadoes of EF2 strength or higher on the ground for a long time. And also damaging winds at 75 mph or higher, and of course big time hail.”

Nikki Nolan

contributed to this report.