Jesse Shaw

Jesse Shaw is in his second season as the chief of staff for the University of Iowa men's basketball team. 

During his first season in Iowa City, Shaw helped guide the Hawkeyes to the program's first Elite Eight appearance in 39 years and first Sweet 16 since 1999. 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 win all-time against the defending national champion. Iowa became the ninth No. 9 seed to knock off a No. 1 seed and the sixth nine 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 being tied for the fifth-most in a single season in program history.  The team finished the season ranked 15th in the final Associated Press rankings.  

Iowa, which had 12 transfers among its 14-player roster, won three NCAA Tournament games in 2026; the program had 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 by The Associated Press and USBWA and first-team All-Big Ten honors by the media after averging 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 went 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 have 730+ points, 160+ assists, 95+ rebounds, 90+ 3-poiners and 50+ steals and he became one of three Power Conference players all-time to put up those numbers.

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

 

Shaw joined the Iowa staff after spending the 2024-25 season as an assistant coach at Drake.  He helped the Bulldogs enjoy unprecedented success as the team racked up a school-record 31 victories and claimed both the Missouri Valley Conference regular season and tournament titles.  The Bulldogs advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after defeating sixth-seeded Missouri, 67-57, in the Round of 64. 

Shaw assisted in Drake’s complete roster rebuild, as the Bulldogs brought in a combined 10 transfers and first-year players.  Stirtz was named the MVC Larry Bird Player and Newcomer of the Year, while being a finalist for the Riley Wallace Award and Lou Henson Awards.

Shaw came to Iowa with 16 years of coaching experience, including head coaching stops at Maryville University (2020-24) and Pratt Community College (2011-16).  He also coached at Missouri-St. Louis as an assistant (2016-20) and started as a graduate assistant at Emporia State (2006-08).

Prior to making the move to Des Moines, Shaw spent four years at Maryville.  He registered the second-highest overall winning percentage in program history and led the team to two of its five total wins over ranked opponents all-time.

Before moving across town, Shaw spent four seasons as an assistant at Missouri-St. Louis. He helped the Tritons to 72 victories, capped by a record-setting 27-6 record, the first Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) regular season title and an appearance in the GLVC Tournament finals.

Shaw started off as an assistant coach at Pratt Community College before being elevated to the first chair.  He transformed the program from a last-place team to a regional champion in his first three years leading the program, coaching 15 All-Jayhawk Conference selections and eight professional basketball players.

He amassed a five-year record of 92-69 in his five seasons and was named NJCAA Region VI Coach of the Year and the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association Junior College Men's Coach of the Year.

Shaw began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Emporia State from 2006-08, where he worked with McCollum, who was a full-time assistant.  He helped guide the Hornets to the NCAA Division II National Tournament for just the second time in school history.

As a player, Shaw and McCollum were teammates at Northwest Missouri State.  Shaw graduated as the second winningest player in school history, and he was on the first of two Bearcat teams to reach the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. 

The Lincoln, Nebraska, native earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Northwest Missouri State in 2005.  He and his wife, Hannah, have two daughters, Harmony and Avery.

Career
2006-08	Graduate Assistant, Emporia State
2008-11	Assistant Coach, Pratt Community College
2011-16	Head Coach, Pratt Community College
2016-20	Assistant Coach, Missouri-St. Louis
2020-24	Head Coach, Maryville University
2024-25	Assistant Coach, Drake
2025-pres.	Chief of Staff, University of Iowa