Drake's Stirtz named Player of the Year

MBB: This is the third-straight year Drake has had the Larry Bird Trophy winner

Bennett Stirtz has helped lead Drake to a 27-3 record this season. (Photo: Drake Athletics)

The Larry Bird Trophy is staying in Des Moines, Iowa.

After Drake’s Tucker DeVries won the Missouri Valley Conference’s Player of the Year award in each of the last two seasons, on Wednesday the Valley announced Bennett Stirtz is this year’s Bird Trophy winner. He is just the third player in Missouri Valley history to win the award in his first season in the conference.

In his first season with the Bulldogs, Stirtz averaged 18.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 2.2 steals per game. Drake won a regular-season championship with an overall record of 27-3, and they’ll head to Arch Madness as the tournament’s #1 seed.

Stirtz won the award with 54 out of a possible 55 first-place votes from conference media, coaches and sports information directors. Northern Iowa’s Tytan Anderson finished second in the voting, while Bradley’s Duke Deen, who picked up the other 1st place vote, finished third.

Here’s a look at the All-Missouri Valley Conference teams:

First Team

• Bennett Stirtz (Drake)

• Tytan Anderson (Northern Iowa)

• Duke Deen (Bradley)

• Jonathan Pierre (Belmont)

• Samage Teel (Indiana State)

• Chase Walker (Illinois State)

Second Team

• Tayshawn Comer (Evansville)

• Kennard Davis Jr. (Southern Illinois)

• Darius Hannah (Bradley)

• Johnny Kinziger (Illinois State)

• Cooper Schwieger (Valparaiso)

Third Team

• Trey Campbell (Northern Iowa)

• Ali Dibba (Southern Illinois)

• Mitch Mascari (Drake)

• Zek Montgomery (Bradley)

• Carter Whitt (Belmont)

Here’s a look at other specialty All-Conference teams:

All-Newcomer Team

• Tayshawn Comer (Evansville)

• Jonathan Pierre (Belmont)

• Bennett Stirtz (Drake)

• Samage Teel (Indiana State)

• Carter Whitt (Belmont)

All-Freshman Team

• Jack Daugherty (Illinois State)

• Jaquan Johnson (Bradley)

• Sam Orme (Belmont)

• Gabriel Pozzato (Evansville)

• All Wright (Valparaiso)

All-Defensive Team

• Daniel Abreu (Drake)

• Tytan Anderson (Northern Iowa)

• Dalton Banks (Illinois State)

• Darius Hannah (Bradley)

• Connor Turnbull (Evansville)

Valparaiso’s All Wright was named Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year. Wright started all 31 games and averaged 14.5 points per game this season for the Beacons.

Evansville’s Connor Turnbull is the Missouri Valley’s Defensive Player of the Year. The 6’9 sophomore big man blocked 58 shots for the Purple Aces this year.

Drake’s Ben McCollum is the Valley’s Coach of The Year. In his 15 seasons coaching Division II Northwest Missouri State, McCollum won 395 games and four national championships. In his first year as a Division I head coach, he has led Drake to a 27-3 record overall this season, and an 17-3 record in the Missouri Valley Conference.