By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – In street clothes, Iowa freshman point guard Jordan Bohannon could be mistaken for a team manager if you didn’t know him.

He carries about 180 pounds on a slender 6-foot frame and looks about as threatening as a sunny day.

Until you put a basketball in his hands.

Then Bohannon becomes a force, sometimes an unstoppable force, as was the case on Saturday when the former Linn-Mar star made 8-of-10 3-point shots during an 83-69 victory at No. 24 Maryland.

"He was awesome tonight in so many ways," Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said of Bohannon. "Obviously, he'll be remembered for the shots he made. But for me, it's always the toughness and the leadership."

It certainly takes mental toughness to make 3-pointers in prime time. To do it in practice is one thing. To do it in a game, especially on the road, is another. 

Iowa has had numerous point guards who could play 100 games at Maryland and probably not come close to making eight 3-pointers.

Bohannon made it look easy as he drained 3-pointers from all over the court, some from as far as 25 feet. He also dished out five assists against Maryland while playing 31 minutes in one of the Big Ten’s most hostile environments.

He did all of that against Maryland despite having an injured finger on his non-shooting hard, which required a visit to the hosptial on Friday, and despite having struggled in two of the previous three games, at least by Bohannon's standards. 

Bohannon will face another hostile environment on Thursday when Iowa plays at Wisconsin. His presence should be a big deal on the court and in the stands where Badger fans are likely to target Bohannon for abuse, considering two of his three older brothers played basketball for Wisconsin.

Bohannon also is likely to have a target on his back from an opposing defense’s standpoint. Lose track of him for just a second on the perimeter and there is a good chance it’ll cost a defense three points.

It’s been a while since you could say that about an Iowa point guard.

Try to think of a former Iowa point guard who could match Bohannon as a 3-point shooter.

Mike Gesell?

No way.

Anthony Clemmons?

Not even close.

The same with Chauncey Leslie, Cully Payne, Bryce Cartwright and Jeff Peterson.

You have to go all the way back to Jeff Horner to find a former Iowa point guard who deserves being compared to Bohannon as a 3-point shooter.

Horner made a school-record 262 3-point baskets as a four-year starter from 2002-06.

Bohannon has a ways to go to match that total, but he’s ahead of Horner’s pace after having made a UI freshman record 68 treys up to this point. Bohannon is currently on pace to make 272 treys over four years, but he still has at least three games left to play this season.

Dean Oliver made 161 treys during his four seasons as the Iowa point guard from 1998-01. It’s not unrealistic to think that Bohannon could surpass that total next season.

Bohannon has arguably been the most pleasant surprise on a team filled with pleasant surprises this season. He still is a work in progress as a point guard, but as a shooter, Bohannon is in a select group of Iowa point guards, along with Horner and B.J. Armstrong.

It’s hard to think of anybody else.

Former Iowa point guard Ronnie Lester is arguably the greatest player in school history, but he didn’t have Bohannon’s incredible shooting range.

Matt Gatens was a prolific 3-point shooter during his Hawkeye career from 2008-12, but he mostly played shooting guard.

Current senior Peter Jok also ranks among the best 3-point shooters in school history, but he also plays shooting guard.

Bohannon is shredding defenses as a point guard. He’s playing the position like few Iowa point guards have played it recently.

Few, if anything, has revolutionized the game more than the 3-point shot has. A double-digit deficit can vanish in a matter of seconds if a team starts making treys.

It still is way too early to say that Iowa's freshmen class, which also includes power forward Tyler Cook, is destined for greatness. But it isn't too early to say that Bohannon is one of the best shooters to play point guard for Iowa in years.

That much seems obvious.