By Blake Dowson
Peter Jok’s breakout junior season has earned him a preseason accolade heading into his final year at Iowa.
Jok, the lone returning starter for the Hawkeyes this season, was named to the Jerry West Award watch list, handed out annually to the nation’s best shooting guard.
“Jerry West is one of the best shooting guards to ever play the game and is undoubtedly one of the most competitive players as well,” John Doleva, the president and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame, said in a release. “The 20 collegiate athletes on this list have proven to have a similar work ethic, and we look forward to seeing their results as they compete this season.”
Now in its third year, the Jerry West Award was given to D’Angelo Russell of Ohio State in its inaugural season and to Buddy Hield of Oklahoma last season.
Two other Big Ten players joined Jok on the list — Illinois’ Malcolm Hill and Indiana’s James Blackmon Jr.
Jok, a West Des Moines product by way of the Sudan, averaged just over 16 points per game as a junior, and he is one of 20 2-guards to be named to the watch list.
Jok was also recently named to the preseason All-Big Ten list, which features the top-10 players in the conference. He was one of 30 college players invited to participate in the Nike Basketball Academy this past summer.
The most interesting preseason recognition handed to Jok may have been published in Sports Illustrated on Tuesday. The magazine projected the Iowa guard to lead all Power-5 conference players in scoring this year, at 21.4 projected points per game.
Jack Gibbs of Davidson was the only player in all of college basketball projected to average more points than Jok in the upcoming season.