BOSTON, Mass. – Bennett Stirtz has been named a finalist for the Riley Wallace Award, which is presented to the most impactful transfer in Division I college basketball, Collegeinsider.com announced on Wednesday.

The junior joined Drake this season after transferring from Division II Northwest Missouri State following head coach Ben McCollum. Stirtz is just the third player in league history to earn the Larry Bird Trophy in his first season in the MVC. Player of the Year was not the only honor given to the Liberty, Mo., native, however. Stirtz was also named Newcomer of the Year, selected First Team All-MVC, and named to the All-Newcomer Team.

The award is named in honor of the longtime Hawaii coach. During his coaching career at Hawaii, Riley Wallace welcomed many transfers into the program and became the winningest coach in program history. Wallace guided Hawaii to nine postseason appearances, including a school-record streak of four straight from 2001-04.
 
The Warriors appeared in the NCAA Tournament three times under Wallace and have been invited to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) on six occasions. Prior to his arrival, the program had just one NCAA appearance and two trips to the NIT.
 
The recipient of the annual award is determined by a 10-member voting committee, which consists of current and former head coaches, as well as two senior staff members of collegeinsider.com.
 
The 2025 award will be announced in San Antonio, TX, site of the men's Division I Basketball Championship.
 
RILEY WALLACE AWARD FINALISTS
Miles Barnstable        6-2 Jr. St. Thomas
Oscar Cluff                6-11 Sr. South Dakota State
Ryan Conwell            6-4 Jr. Xavier
Dylan Darling             6-1 So. Idaho State
Mark Freeman           5-11 Sr. James Madison
Ja'Kobi Gillespie        6-1 Jr. Maryland
PJ Haggerty               6-3 So. Memphis
Devin Haid                 6-5 Jr. Connecticut
Chucky Hepburn        6-2 Sr. Louisville
Joshua Jefferson       6-9 Jr. Iowa State
Chaz Lanier               6-5 Sr. Tennessee
Alijah Martin              6-2 Sr. Florida
Mark Mitchell             6-9 Jr. Missouri
Jacksen Moni            6-10 Sr. North Dakota State
Brian Moore Jr.          6-2 Sr. Norfolk State
Malik Moore               6-5 Jr. Montana
Paulius Murauskas    6-8 So. Saint Mary's
Dominick Nelson       6-5 Jr. Utah Valley
Otega Oweh              6-4 Jr. Kentucky
Sean Pedulla             6-1 Sr. Ole Miss
Kadary Richmond      6-6 Sr. St. John's
Javon Small               6-3 Sr. West Virginia
Jamichael Stillwell     6-8 Jr. Milwaukee
Bennett Stirtz            6-4 Jr. Drake
John Tonje                6-5 Sr. Wisconsin
JT Toppin                  6-9 So. Texas Tech
Milos Uzan                6-4 Jr. Houston
Teddy Washington Jr.  6-2 Sr. Southeast Missouri State
Danny Wolf               7-0 Jr. Michigan
Kam Woods              6-2 Sr. Robert Morris