Many sophomores in the Big Ten have a significantly greater role this season than they did as freshmen. That is to be expected, of course, as the offseason between their first and second years is often when players make their biggest strides in development. Some highly-recruited guys, however, continue to disappoint, while others who may not have been so highly regarded have by now become viable contributors for their teams. This series of posts is meant to check in on a few of the different sophomores in the league to determine whether they have improved and what it means for their teams going forward. Next up in the series is Iowa guard Peter Jok.
Peter Jok could be a huge piece for Iowa if he can become more consistent during conference play. (Alyssa Hitchcock, The Daily Iowan)
- 2013-14: 9.4 MPG, 4.4 PPG, 0.9 RPG, 0.7 APG, 40.0 % FG, 34.8% 3PT, 79.4% FT, 21.7% Usage, 111.5 Offensive Rating
- 2014-15: 16.5 MPG, 5.5 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 1.1 APG, 30.2% FG, 29.3% 3PT, 100.0% FT, 21.0 Usage, 90.8 Offensive Rating
In a season where Iowa has struggled to find perimeter scoring to replace Roy Devyn Marble, Jok has stood out for more of what he hasn’t done. The 6’6″ sophomore showed enough potential last season to make him a likely candidate to step forward, but instead, Fran McCaffery went with an undersized backcourt — Mike Gesell and Anthony Clemmons –to start the season. Whether this was because of some lingering trust issues after Jok’s legal run-ins or because he simply wasn’t playing that well is unknown, but his average of 16.0 MPG in non-conference games approximates the 14.4 MPG he received during the same stretch as a freshman. In the Hawkeyes’ huge road win at North Carolina, Jok only saw nine minutes of action and failed to score. It’s not as if the guards getting minutes over him were playing all that well, but Jok was struggling too.
Things have changed a bit in the last month, however, as Jok has logged an average of 20.1 MPG since the North Carolina game. He’s started in the last three contests, and during that seven-game stretch he’s contributed 8.1 PPG, 2.9 RPG and 1.4 APG. He’s also knocked down 10-of-29 shots from deep, and his long and athletic presence in full-court pressure gives the Hawkeyes a different backcourt look than with Gesell and Clemmons, or one of those two paired with Josh Oglesby. The Hawkeyes aren’t as deep as they were last season, but they still have a considerable advantage over most Big Ten teams in that area, and Jok has already proven that he can contribute with the extra minutes and move to the starting lineup. His ability to continue to knock down shots and get to the free throw line — where he’s a perfect 19-of-19 on the season — will go a long way toward earning more trust and minutes from McCaffery during conference play and beyond.