Jordan Bohannon helps Iowa survive Michigan in overtime
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – I’ll admit it.
I didn’t think Jordan Bohannon could play point guard effectively at the Big Ten level, but could not have been more wrong.
Bohannon isn’t just holding his own as Iowa’s starting point guard as a true freshman, he’s playing a starring role as fans saw on Sunday.
The former Linn-Mar standout lived up to his reputation as a shooter by making some timely 3-point baskets down to the stretch as Iowa held on to defeat Michigan 86-83 in overtime at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Bohannon finished with 17 points, but he impacted the game in so many other ways than just scoring. He also had six assists and zero turnovers in 31 minutes of action, causing Michigan coach John Beilein to give Bohannon high praise after the game.
“His numbers are showing right now that as a freshman you’re going to enjoy watching him the next four years,” Beilein said. “I don’t know where he was in the recruiting world or where he was recruited. That kid is playing as good as any freshman point guard in the country.
“He’s really, really a good player. He was a big difference in this game.”
As a recruit, Bohannon was mostly overlooked by the teams from power five conferences. He isn’t very big at 6-foot and 182 pounds, and he played mostly shooting guard in high school where his role was to score as many points as possible.
But Iowa coach Fran McCaffery saw something special in Bohannon, something that convinced McCaffery that Bohannon could play point guard for him.
McCaffery knew Bohannon personally and he knew that Bohannon came from family of fiery competitors with Bohannon’s three older brothers all having played Division I college basketball
Bohannon's father, Gordy Bohannon, was also the starting quarterback for Iowa';s 1982 Rose Bowl team..
“Truthfully, he's kind of done what I thought he would do,” McCaffery said after Sunday’s game when asked if Jordan Bohannon had succeeded his expectations. “If I didn't think he could do it, I wouldn't have offered him a scholarship. I mean, I can't make it any simpler than that.
“When we make those kind of decisions – and we're not always right – but when we offer, we have evaluated thoroughly enough to say, this kid can do it at this level. And I think that I know him a little better than maybe some other people that I recruited. I know his intellect and that's so important at that position, as you well know.”
Iowa was trailing 71-69 when Bohannon made a 3-point basket with 1 minute, 56 seconds left in regulation. He also made a trey in overtime after Michigan had taken a 77-76 lead.
Senior guard Peter Jok then made another trey with 1:15 left in overtime, along with two free throws with 19.7 left to secure the victory.
Jok and Bohannon combined to score 10 of Iowa’s 12 points in overtime.
“He’s not scared of the moment and he showed it tonight,” Jok said.
Iowa improved to 9-6 overall and 1-1 in the Big Ten, while Michigan fell to 10-4 and 0-1 in the conference.
Bohannon was most proud of his ball-handling prowess in Sunday’s game because that is the part of his game that has worked on the most since entering college.
“I’ve been really working on just limiting my turnovers and my mistakes,” Bohannon said. “Knowing when to go and when not to go and just making jump stops in the paint. That’s the main goal.
“I know when I’m not turning the ball over our offense flows a lot better as a team. So I’ve just been concentrating on that every day in practice.”
Bohannon always has had confidence in his perimeter shot and that didn’t change upon entering college. He knew that he would have to have a quicker release and shoot over taller players in college, but that hasn’t stopped him from being force from 3-point range.
Bohannon made three 3-point baskets in Sunday’s game and is second on team behind Jok with 31 treys overall.
“I’ve been taking those shots most of my life and I was pretty much a go-to guy in high school so I’m used to taking those big-time shots,” Bohannon said. “It’s nice having Pete on the floor because he can space the floor and if he’s not open, one of us will be open if we’re driving the paint. So it’s pretty nice to play with him.”
Jok, who led Iowa with 25 points on Sunday, should feel the same way about Bohannon because he also helps to create space for Jok on the perimeter.
Bohannon was among four freshmen who started for Iowa on Sunday. Power forward Tyler Cook returned to the starting lineup for the first time since late November and finished with 11 points and eight rebounds.
Cook said it helps that McCaffery has enough trust to start four freshmen.
“He tells us that we’re freshmen, but we can’t play like freshmen,” Cook said. “So he trust us and we’ve got to come out and play like veterans.”
Cook was just like Beilein in that he knew nothing about Bohannon before entering college. But Cook is now a believer.
“He’s a hell of a good player,” Cook said. “A big shot taker and a big shot maker. The kid is playing like a veteran.”
Bohannon is also proving to be durable. He didn't have much help at point guard after sophomore backup Christian Williams injured his back in the first half of Sunday's game and didn't return.
Bohannon didn't need much help, though, as Sunday marked the sixth time this season that he has played at least 30 minutes in a game.
It probably is fair to say that the transition from high school is over.
Bohannon is a legitimate Big Ten point guard as he showed on Sunday at the expense of Michigan.