Not that it’s particularly surprising, but Iowa senior Peter Jok will return for his final year of eligibility after testing the NBA draft waters.
New NCAA rules allow for all men’s basketball players to talk with NBA teams a bit (including the ability to attend the combine) without losing their eligibility.
Students can also enter NBA draft multiple times without jeopardizing eligibility & participate in combine & 1 tryout per NBA team per year.
— NCAA (@NCAA) January 13, 2016
Jok took advantage of the rules, ultimately deciding it was in his best interests to return.
“I’m excited to be returning for my senior season and leading our team,” Jok said in a release. “This has been an invaluable learning experience for my career, and I appreciate all the support I have received from Coach [Fran] McCaffery and the entire staff.”
While losing Jok would have been a huge blow for Iowa, it never really seemed as if he was doing anything more than figuring out how the process worked. There is certainly nothing wrong with that, and a huge senior season will do wonders for the sweet-shooting guard’s draft stock.
Unless something catastrophic happens (which, this is Iowa, so …) in the coming year, Jok will probably lead Iowa in a number of offensive categories next season. He will be the go-to scorer and have plenty of time to show his silky smooth jump shot to NBA scouts.
“The entire experience has been beneficial to Peter in assessing where he stands heading into his final college season,” McCaffery said in a release. “He has learned a great deal in regard to this process and his experience will prove valuable a year from now. We are excited that Peter will be a part of our team in the coming season, and we anticipate his senior leadership playing a key role for us.”
Being around the draft process likely only furthered his visibility with the professional basketball world, something that should help him next year.
But for right now, his focus will likely be strictly on his team. Iowa lost four senior starters and will need something consistent for McCaffery to craft his team around. Jok has to be that.
There will be plenty of time in the future to discuss what this team will look like, however. The Prime Time summer league will begin to give observers an idea, but there’s no question the team will look very different next season.
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