Jaran Richman

Jaran Richman is entering his second season as the director of scouting for the University of Iowa men’s basketball team. 

During his first season in Iowa City, Richman helped guide the Hawkeyes to the program's first Elite Eight appearance in 39 years and its first Sweet 16 since 1999. As a No. 9 seed, Iowa downed three higher-seeded teams -- No. 8 Clemson, No. 1 Florida and No. 4 Nebraska.  The Hawkeyes led their South Region title game with seven minutes remaining with a Final Four spot on the line.

Iowa's 73-72 win over top-seeded Florida gave the Hawkeyes their second victory all-time against a defending national champion. Iowa became the ninth No. 9 seed to knock off a No. 1 seed and just the sixth No. 9 seed all-time to advance to the Elite Eight.

The Hawkeyes finished the 2025-26 season with a 24-13 overall record, with the 24 victories tying for the fifth-most in a single season in program history.  The team finished the season ranked 15th in the final Associated Press poll.

Iowa, which featured 12 transfers among its 14-player roster, won three NCAA Tournament games in 2026; by comparison, the program had combined for just four NCAA Tournament wins in the previous 24 seasons.

Senior guard Bennett Stirtz, who made the jump from Northwest Missouri State to Drake to Iowa City, was as good as advertised. Stirtz earned honorable mention All-America honors from The Associated Press and the USBWA, alongside first-team All-Big Ten honors from the media after averaging 19.8 points, 4.4 assists and 2.6 rebounds.  He played 40 or more minutes 17 times during the season and finished with a program record 1,396 minutes.

Stirtz elevated his game from a second-team All-MIAA selection at the Division II level to an All-American in the Big Ten.  He was the only player in the nation to record 730+ points, 160+ assists, 95+ rebounds, 90+ 3-pointers and 50+ steals, becoming one of just three Power Conference players all-time to post those single-season numbers.

Stirtz became the first Hawkeye with 700+ points, 100+ assists and 50+ steals in a season and just the third Hawkeye ever to score 700+ points.  His 734 total points were the fourth-most in a single season in Iowa history.

Stirtz was selected in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft with the 16th overall pick by the Memphis Grizzlies before being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder.  He is the third point guard in Hawkeye history to be selected in the first round.

Richman joined the Hawkeyes following a one-year stint at Drake, where he served as the assistant to the head coach. During the 2024–25 campaign, he helped the Bulldogs win 31 games, claim the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) regular-season and tournament titles and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Prior to making the move to Des Moines, Richman spent five years at Northwest Missouri State, playing and coaching under Ben McCollum. His comprehensive tenure included two seasons as a student-athlete, two years as a graduate assistant and a season as a full-time assistant coach in 2023-24.

In his first season as a graduate assistant during the 2021-22 campaign, Northwest capped off a streak of three consecutive national championships, becoming the first team in NCAA Division II men's basketball history to accomplish the feat. Richman then guided the Bearcats to their 10th consecutive conference championship in 2022-23, finishing the season 31-3. The following season, Northwest won its 11th straight MIAA regular-season crown while posting a 29-5 record.

Before joining the coaching ranks, Richman played for the Bearcats and he was a key member of the 2021 national championship team. Highlighting his academic and athletic excellence, he was named the prestigious NCAA Elite 90 Award winner at the 2021 NCAA Tournament. In the 2019-20 COVID-canceled  season, Northwest finished the season 31-1 and was ranked No. 1 in the country.

Prior to joining the Bearcats, Richman played for North Central Missouri College , where he was a team captain on the first national tournament squad in school history.

The Hamilton, Missouri, native earned his associate’s degree in teaching from North Central Missouri College in 2019, his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Northwest Missouri State in 2021 and his master’s degree in applied health science from the school in 2023. He is engaged to Bree Thompson.

RICHMAN'S COACHING CAREER

2021-23	Graduate Assistant, Northwest Missouri State
2023-24	Assistant Coach, Northwest Missouri State
2024-25	Assistant to the Head Coach, Drake
2025-26	Director, Scouting, University of Iowa