Peter Jok feeling 'great' for return against Nebraska

IOWA CITY — Unless something changes drastically, Iowa men's basketball will have its star player Peter Jok back in the lineup on Sunday when Nebraska comes to Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The senior guard said Friday he was feeling 'great,' and Coach Fran McCaffery said, 'I think he'll be fine. I think he'll play. I think he'll play well.'

His likely return means Jok will have missed just two games dealing with a bad back, and his reintegration into the fold comes at a time where the Hawkeyes have played as well collectively as at any point in the Big Ten season. Jok's work to get back so he could aid that collective improvement impressed his coach and his teammates.

'He could have kept playing the way he was. He didn't feel like he was playing up to his own expectations; I respect that,' McCaffery said. 'The only way to do that is to get your body to feel better. We have a great strength and conditioning coach. We have a great athletic trainer. We have talented doctors. They've worked really hard with him.

'It doesn't matter how good those people are, though, if you're not professional in your approach, and he has been.'

Jok is champing at the bit to get back on the floor, if his answers to media Friday were any indication.

That makes sense considering all the obvious factors: his final season, his competitiveness and the simple love of playing the game. But what sitting out did most was reinvigorate all those things and crank them up a notch.

Time off was restorative in multiple ways, Jok said.

'Missing the two games was really good for my body physically, but also mentally,' Jok said. 'I feel like I'm mentally back into the game and I'm more hungry now.'

Iowa has played as efficient on offense as any point this season despite Jok's absence, tallying 1.181 and 1.169 points per possession against Ohio State and Rutgers, respectively, and had 24 assists on 30 made shots against the Scarlet Knights on Tuesday.

How Jok assimilates back into the flow of the offense is key to that continuing. McCaffery dismissed the idea that the ball would stop with Jok just because he's the 'ultimate green light' to shoot whenever he's open.

McCaffery is going to approach the offense the same way he has all season, and his players know that.

'Ultimately we're still going to do the same things. We're going to run. We're going to run motion. We're going to run some sets. We're going to run some continuity. We're going to swing the ball, throw it inside,' McCaffery said. 'We can score in a variety of ways. Pete knows that and understands that, as well. The thing he has to continue to do is rebound the ball. He has been a terrific rebounder for us this year. There have been games where his assist numbers have been really good. There's times when his screening has been really good, which doesn't show up in the box score, but it shows up when you're watching the film.'

Jok's time out rehabbing his back injury also was highlighted by his Instagram post reacting to President Donald Trump's seven-country immigration ban. Jok posted, in part, 'It's unfortunate the order has/will affect so many families and Sudanese athletes playing in college and in the NBA. I hope the order is reversed soon, because America that I know is a land of opportunities and inclusion. I am praying for those affected by it.'

As when former player Okey Ukah was outspoken about social issues, McCaffery fully supported Jok's desire to speak out.

'I was proud of him. I thought incredibly eloquent in his remarks. Thoughtful, caring,' McCaffery said at his news conference Friday. 'I'm not surprised, that's who he is. Nobody in this room knows what it's like to be a refugee. He does. Can't imagine being 6 years old, being a refugee in Uganda. I applaud him for speaking up. I applaud him for how he spoke up.

'I think everyone appreciates where he's coming from and supports his ideas.'

Jok sought advice from a few family and friends before posting the statement, most of which came from his brother Dau, who has been very active socially and politically. Jok said his first concern when hearing about the ban was for his mother, Amelia Bol Ring, who returned to their home area and is a member of the National Legislative Assembly in the Republic of South Sudan.

Once Jok heard she would be able to travel back and forth just fine, his thoughts turned to everyone else.

His time away from the team was spent repairing himself physically, but that he also took time for social commentary during that period, 'just shows the kind of character Pete has,' said his teammate, Ahmad Wagner.

'That really touched me, and me being a leader in my community, I felt like I had to say something,' Jok said. 'I've gotten a lot of good, positive feedback from people affected by it. They thanked me for what I did. … Coach Kirk (Speraw) came up to me and really liked what I said and said his wife was really happy about it. The players have been supportive and like what I did, too.

'(McCaffery) gives us freedom to post stuff like that and speak our minds as long as it's purposeful and meaningful.'

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