JonDMiller
Publisher/Founder
When Iowa offered a scholarship to Peter Jok in October, they did so believing he was close to being recovered from injuries that had sidelined his career the past two years.
Iowa wanted to get in ahead of the big boys, in the event that Jok got anywhere near the kind of player he was as a freshman and before two injuries that took him off the national radar.
The big boys knew about Jok because he was once considered one of the 10 or 20 best players in his class prior to his health setbacks. Fran McCaffery and the Iowa staff watched Jok this summer at some camps and while Jok flashed a bit, he still had a ways to go. Then word began to emerge in early fall that Jok was playing at a high level at some open gyms in West Des Moines. The Iowa staff attended a couple of those and offered the scholarship, believing that Jok would make some degree of return to his former self and that it would be worth 'the risk' to get him signed before the start of his senior season.
Jok visited Iowa the following weekend and committed and is now signed.
Seven games into his senior season, the move appears to be paying off for the Hawkeyes. Jok is averaging a Class 4A best 23.9 points per game and has scored 167 points overall. He scored 194 points in 19 games all of last season, averaging just over 10 points per game. Jok has made 19 of 41 three-point shots (46.3%) and those 19 treys are second most of any player in Class 4A. He's also hitting 88.9% from the line and ranks 7th in free throw attempts in Class 4A.
The reason Jok was rated so high a few years back is because he had a great outside game with a high flying act around the rim. While he's not as 'high flying' as he once was, he is still looking to drive at the basket as evidenced by his high number of free throw attempts. As you can see, he has not lost his stroke from the outside and is near 50 percent from range. When you watch his jump shot, as you can in the video below, he has a very 'repeatable motion' and it's smooth. Jok's scoring average is 2nd in the state among 3A & 4A teams combined and 3rd amongst 2A, 3A and 4A combined. (as reported to quikstatsiowa.com)
Give the clip below a look, as it contains footage from this past weekend. At 6-6, he's able to get his shot off from long range whenever he wants as he can shoot over people. Notice how little space he needs to do this. Granted, things are going to be different at the next level but some players need more room or need to be able to catch and shoot to get into their comfort zone. His 'repeatable motion' looks consistent off the dribble and that form could lead to a high percentage of catch and shoot opportunities, too.
Will Jok become that high flyer that he once was? Probably not, but he has good size and the Iowa Hawkeyes desperately need more long range jump shooters and Jok will certainly help fill that bill next year
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTd62X9Bq_g
Iowa wanted to get in ahead of the big boys, in the event that Jok got anywhere near the kind of player he was as a freshman and before two injuries that took him off the national radar.
The big boys knew about Jok because he was once considered one of the 10 or 20 best players in his class prior to his health setbacks. Fran McCaffery and the Iowa staff watched Jok this summer at some camps and while Jok flashed a bit, he still had a ways to go. Then word began to emerge in early fall that Jok was playing at a high level at some open gyms in West Des Moines. The Iowa staff attended a couple of those and offered the scholarship, believing that Jok would make some degree of return to his former self and that it would be worth 'the risk' to get him signed before the start of his senior season.
Jok visited Iowa the following weekend and committed and is now signed.
Seven games into his senior season, the move appears to be paying off for the Hawkeyes. Jok is averaging a Class 4A best 23.9 points per game and has scored 167 points overall. He scored 194 points in 19 games all of last season, averaging just over 10 points per game. Jok has made 19 of 41 three-point shots (46.3%) and those 19 treys are second most of any player in Class 4A. He's also hitting 88.9% from the line and ranks 7th in free throw attempts in Class 4A.
The reason Jok was rated so high a few years back is because he had a great outside game with a high flying act around the rim. While he's not as 'high flying' as he once was, he is still looking to drive at the basket as evidenced by his high number of free throw attempts. As you can see, he has not lost his stroke from the outside and is near 50 percent from range. When you watch his jump shot, as you can in the video below, he has a very 'repeatable motion' and it's smooth. Jok's scoring average is 2nd in the state among 3A & 4A teams combined and 3rd amongst 2A, 3A and 4A combined. (as reported to quikstatsiowa.com)
Give the clip below a look, as it contains footage from this past weekend. At 6-6, he's able to get his shot off from long range whenever he wants as he can shoot over people. Notice how little space he needs to do this. Granted, things are going to be different at the next level but some players need more room or need to be able to catch and shoot to get into their comfort zone. His 'repeatable motion' looks consistent off the dribble and that form could lead to a high percentage of catch and shoot opportunities, too.
Will Jok become that high flyer that he once was? Probably not, but he has good size and the Iowa Hawkeyes desperately need more long range jump shooters and Jok will certainly help fill that bill next year
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTd62X9Bq_g
