HAWK TALK

December 2020

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29 J ordan Bohannon can finally be free again on the basketball court. e last time the University of Iowa senior has been this healthy was during his final season at Linn Mar (Iowa) High School. It was a year when Bohannon led Class 4A with 593 points, averaging 25.8 points, en route to Iowa Gatorade Player of the Year honors. A lot has happened since then. Bohannon battled plantar fasciitis for parts of two seasons before the discomfort went to his hip. at led to his first surgery following the Hawkeyes' 2019 NCAA Tournament run and he played 10 games last season before shutting it down to undergo the same procedure on the other hip. "It's one of the greatest feelings to have that feeling back in my body where I know every time I step on the floor I don't have to worry about my foot hurting or my hips bothering me when I am making a move or a cross over," said Bohannon. Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery sees a difference in a healthy Bohannon. "Jordan looks good. He has trimmed his body down and I think he feels good to be able to go out there and compete the way he wants to compete without pain," said McCaffery. "Having the confidence to know that every time he drives to the basket and falls down, plays a lot of minutes, or fights through screens that he's not going to be in discomfort is huge." Bohannon enters his fih year with 1,310 points. In three-plus seasons, the sharp-shooter has broken Iowa's 3-point field goals record (with 284 makes) and he enters the 2020-21 campaign with the Big Ten record on the horizon. "It's crazy to think about, the guys I looked up to growing up — Jeff Horner, Matt Gatens," said Bohannon of the record. "You go down the line and look at everyone I have passed. It's surreal to say I am at the top and knowing I am able to close the gap on the top 3-point leaders in the Big Ten as well. ere have been so many great names that I have watched growing up." Bohannon needs 90 3-point field goals to pass Ohio State's Jon Diebler for the all-time Big Ten record. Bohannon has been more than a shooter in his career. Along with averaging 11.7 points per game, Bohannon has handed out 4.5 assists per game. at has put him in a position to surpass a who's who in Hawkeye history — Mike Gesell, B.J. Armstrong, Dean Oliver, Andre Woolridge, Jeff Horner — in the assist ledger in 2020-21. Bohannon needs 108 assists to tie Horner (614 assists) for the top spot in Hawkeye history. "I was telling coach McCaffery as we were walking out of practice the other day that I feel more comfortable breaking the assist record (this season) than the 3-point record because knowing the guys I have around me," said Bohannon. "I can feed Luka (Garza) inside, CJ (Fredrick) on the perimeter, and Wiesy (Joe Wieskamp) on the perimeter. We have all these guys that can shoot the ball and it's nice knowing I can load everyone up like I did my freshman year with Peter Jok. I have all these high assist games because we had good shooters around me." Bohannon was born in Iowa City in 1997 — 16 years aer his father, Gordy, led the Iowa football team to the Rose Bowl as the starting quarterback. Bohannon grew up loving the Hawkeyes when he was staring at Linn Mar. When McCaffery extended a scholarship offer for Bohannon to officially become a Hawkeye, it was everything he had ever wanted.

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