Iowa's Peter Jok to return for senior season

IOWA CITY — Iowa guard Peter Jok will return for his senior season with plenty to improve upon in order to reach his NBA goals.

Jok, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard, withdrew from NBA consideration on Friday after a month of evaluations and a workout with the New Orleans Pelicans. Ball handling and defense are two areas the second-team all-Big Ten scorer will focus on next year with the Hawkeyes. But so are the intangibles, something he already has targeted this off-season.

'My goal is to win as many games as we can and be a great leader on this team,' Jok said Friday, 'and trying to lead us to get a ring and a Big Ten championship and try to go back to the NCAA tournament and win a title. That's my goal, personally.'

Jok averaged 16.1 points last season, ranking eighth in the Big Ten, and tied for sixth in steals (1.3). He declared for the NBA draft but did not sign with an agent. The NCAA loosened eligibility rules this season which allowed players to attend the NBA scouting combine, work out for NBA clubs and return to campus provided they don't sign with an agent.

As of Friday afternoon, Jok is one of only two of the Big Ten's top 10 players guaranteed to return next season. Wisconsin forward Nigel Hayes (first team) and Maryland point guard Melo Trimble (second team) also are testing the NBA process. Illinois guard Malcolm Hill (second team) elected to return without declaring for the NBA draft.

Jok has participated in all of Iowa's off-season workouts, and Coach Fran McCaffery praised his work ethic. Jok now has a better understanding of his strengths and deficiencies.

'He looks at himself and says, 'I'm going to have the kind of year that will put me in a position to be a first-round pick for sure. I'm going to be one of the premier players in the country,'' McCaffery said.

'I'm going to use (Jok) in a way that will showcase him. We've done that already to a degree, but I'm going to do it even more. ... His confidence level at an incredibly high point. I spoke to him (Friday) when he decided to pull his name out. He's all in, and we're thrilled that he's all in. We're very happy to help him through this process that was made available to him, and he took full advantage of it.'

Jok was born in the Sudan and raised in the Des Moines area. He's one of two seniors returning on a team that finished 22-11 with one NCAA tournament win last season. Jok's scoring average jumped 9.1 points per game last season, highest among Big Ten players. He scored 20 or more points 11 times. In a 29-point effort against Illinois, Jok scored 15 consecutive points for Iowa.

This off-season, Jok plans to work at the point to improve his ball-handling and also operate off screens, pick-and-rolls and dribbling in traffic. While playing point guard full-time next season is unlikely, it's not far-fetched to see him regularly run the offense.

'We're a running a team, so I don't really feel like we need a point guard, like a specific point guard,' Jok said. 'As long as we can all dribble, bring up the ball and get into our motion, we don't need a specific point guard. We've got Christian Williams, and we've got (Jordan) Bohannon coming in. They're going to do well at the point guard spot.

'If coach wants me to play point guard, I'm definitely going to play point guard. I'm going to be working really hard this summer to improve my ball skills.'

In his only NBA workout, Jok injured his thumb while defending Providence's Ben Bentil. It resulted in sprained ligaments, which sidelined him for nearly a month.

Throughout the process, Jok said he and McCaffery communicated frequently. McCaffery said he often relayed information from NBA teams to Jok, his brother Dau Jok and their guardian, Mike Nixon.

'When this came out where you can explore the NBA, I went in and talked to him about and he was really supportive about it,' Jok said. 'He's had my back since I first stepped on campus.'

'Now it's his team,' McCaffery said. 'He's excited about that, and he's ready for that challenge.'

l Comments: (319) 339-3169; scott.dochterman@thegazette.com