Harty: Don’t believe everything you hear or read about Peter Jok
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Since declaring for the NBA draft in late March, it seems Peter Jok has been everywhere but in a classroom.
He supposedly, according to rumor and speculation, is focusing all of his energy and spending all his time pursuing his dream of playing professional basketball.
Iowa is now in Jok’s rear-view mirror according to the rumor mill and the hype. The 6-foot-6 swingman is supposedly bored with being a student-athlete after three seasons and wants to get paid for his talent.
My response to that is don’t believe everything, or in some cases, anything that you hear or read.
I know for a fact that Jok has been in a classroom since Iowa’s season ended because I saw him myself. We even shook hands.
This past Thursday, I had the privilege of speaking with two writing classes at the University of Iowa, one of which included Jok and Iowa teammate Anthony Clemmons.
I was told in advance by the instructor that Jok and Clemmons both would be in attendance.
That caused me to chuckle because a rumor was floating around at the time saying Jok had bolted to California to work exclusively on his game, leaving college behind.
But if that were the case, why did Jok arrive early for the class on Thursday?
Why did he immerse himself in the question-and-answer discussion if he now considers college to be an afterthought?
I have no clue what Jok has planned for himself if his NBA aspirations don’t materialize this spring. He hasn’t hired an agent, so returning to Iowa for his senior season still would be an option if he stays academically eligible.
There are conflicting reports about what Jok plans to do if the NBA doesn’t work out. One report says he almost certainly would return to Iowa, while another says it’s not a guarantee and suggests there is a rift between Jok and Iowa coach Fran McCaffery.
This isn’t to say that Jok and McCaffery have the perfect player-coach relationship. But Jok is coming off a season in which he was arguably the Big Ten’s most improved player, and McCaffery deserves some credit for that.
It’s easy for me, and for Iowa fans, to say Jok should return for his senior season because we’re seeing it through our eyes and with just limited information.
Jok should do what he feels is in his best interest.
Now I will say that returning to college is never the wrong decision unless you’re Jordan Spieth or the best player on the Kentucky men’s basketball team.
You could make a strong argument that Jok needs another year in college to polish his skills. The West Des Moines Valley graduate could probably win a 3-point shooting contest against anybody not named Stephen Curry. But the rest of Jok’s game, mostly his ball handling and defense, need more work.
But you can’t blame Jok for testing the NBA waters under the new rules that give players more time to access their value before deciding whether to return to college.
My only concern about the new rule is that it might cause some prospects to overlook their academics as they prepare for the draft. You worry that some will want to return to college, only to discover that they’re academically ineligible.
Jok didn’t seem distracted last Thursday, though. It was only one class. But it’s also easy to skip one class, especially less than three weeks after the season and on a Thursday afternoon.
But he didn’t.
All I know for sure about Jok’s whereabouts is that for 90 minutes last Thursday he was in class and the class benefited from his presence. He brought energy and curiosity, both of which help to spark any discussion.
The same with Clemmons, who also contributed a great deal to the class discussion by asking intelligent and insightful questions.
I was so impressed that I called Matt Weitzel, who works for the Iowa Sports Information Department and handles men’s basketball, to tell him about my experience.
Jok certainly has more on his mind than just being a student-athlete or he wouldn’t have declared for the draft.
But to say that Jok has abandoned college makes no sense based on my experience with him last Thursday.
What I witnessed was a student-athlete.