Iowa
How Iowa basketball navigated California trip to win Acrisure Classic
Video: Isaia Howard scored team-high 19 points in win vs. Grand Canyon
Isaia Howard meets with media after Iowa basketball’s 59-46 win over Grand Canyon.
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
An Iowa man was injured Thursday afternoon after three vehicles traveling northbound on Interstate 35 collided near Albert Lea.
Thomas Gene Anderson, 34, of Winnebago, Iowa, was taken by Mayo Ambulance to Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea for non-life threatening injuries, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.
Anderson was listed as the driver of a 2019 Chevrolet Blazer.
The report states the Blazer and a 2020 Nissan Rogue, driven by Brenda Sue Bangs, 52, of Glenville, and a 2021 Chevrolet Blazer, driven by Lisa Ann Bettin, 64, of Altoona, Iowa, were all northbound on I-35 near milepost 10 when the vehicles collided at 3:49 p.m.
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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How much rain does Des Moines get? See the 5 wettest days on record
Wondering how the rainfall total compares? Here are the five wettest days on record for Des Moines, Iowa.
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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