Bohannon At His Best Will Be A Key For Hawkeyes

No one really knew, Iowa men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery said, just how much pain Jordan Bohannon has been in during his career.

The big shots, the big passes, the in-game leadership, all came as Bohannon dealt with injuries that would end up requiring surgeries on both hips — one surgery last spring and then one in December, after he had played 10 games and helped stabilize Iowa’s backcourt.

There are a lot of reasons why the Hawkeyes are considered one of the top 10 teams in the nation next season, and a healthy Bohannon is one of them.

The senior guard will be back for a fifth season if the NCAA grants his request for a medical redshirt season — the number of games he played last season qualifies him for that — and now McCaffery is hoping to see Bohannon in his best health.

“It’s pretty amazing, when you think about what he did playing in pain,” McCaffery said during his Thursday video conference with media members. “That’s really hard to do. Especially at the level he played. I think, if you were watching us play, you never thought there was anything wrong. Nobody did. If you ever asked him, (it was) ‘Coach, I’m fine. I’m ready to go.’

“I think that’s why it was important that he get the surgery when he did. I know that he’s happy that he did, because it had to be done. I think he realized it had to be done for him to max out this opportunity. It gave him enough time to really get ready for next year. He’s incredibly mature in his approach to his body right now. He knows the kind of shape that he needs to be in, and he knows what he’s capable of doing, because he’s accomplished great things already. I’m just excited to get him back, I’m looking forward to it.”

Bohannon is the school’s record holder with 284 three-pointers. He ranks 12th all-time in Big Ten play, and needs 91 to pass Ohio State’s Jon Diebler for the conference career mark.

Bohannon’s status was questionable at the beginning of last season after he underwent his first hip surgery in May. But he played 250 minutes in the 10 games he did play — he sat out Iowa’s win over Cal Poly in mid-December — and while he was not at his best, he was still effective.

Bohannon scored in double figures four times. He had a season-high 20 points in a win over Texas Tech in the Las Vegas Invitational, then had a season-high five three-pointers in a 17-point game in Iowa’s win at Syracuse.

He closed his season with a 0-point, 10-assist game in a home win over Minnesota. Three nights later, at Iowa State, he was just 2-of-12 shooting, but finished with 12 points, making all six of his free throws to help the Hawkeyes close out a road victory.

Bohannon would have his second surgery a week later, and since then has been working to get back.

The Hawkeyes will have all five starters back if center Luka Garza takes his name out of the NBA draft process. Iowa won 20 games last season despite having depth issues late in the year.

Forward Jack Nunge, who injured his knee in November and missed the rest of the season, is expected to be back. So is freshman forward Patrick McCaffery, Fran’s son, who missed almost all of last season as he dealt with health issues related to his treatment for thyroid cancer in 2014. McCaffery said Patrick now weighs 200 pounds and is getting stronger.

Bohannon started the last six games he played last season. That allowed redshirt freshman CJ Fredrick and freshman Joe Toussaint to grow into their roles.

It will be a deep backcourt this season — one that, for the first time, will feature a healthy Bohannon.

“The great thing about Jordan is, he has really been incredibly diligent since his surgery,” McCaffery said. “He’s probably felt the best he’s felt in a very long time. More importantly, I think he’s gotten his body to the point where it needs to be in terms of strength and weight. His discipline has been what you would expect it to be — incredibly professional. And I’m really proud of him for that. He’s in a really good position and where he needs to be.”