Jordan Bohannon is a man entering a new stage of his life. He even has a new dark beard growing on his face as proof, but the changes go far beyond facial hair.

For the first time in his Hawkeye career, Bohannon could be embarking on a season without basketball.

Iowa’s star combo guard, known for his clutch in-game antics and buzzer-beating 3-pointers, underwent hip surgery in May, putting a question mark by his availability for 2019-20 because of the expected 5-9-month recovery period.

Bohannon’s getting closer to a comeback, though, shooting and running at practice, although he’s still unable to do a lot of cutting.

“Being on the sideline and working out individually, then seeing the guys collectively practicing, it makes me want to be out there and try to contribute as much as possible,” Bohannon said. “That’s kind of my mindset — I want to be able to help the team as much as possible, and if I’m able to play, I’m going to try to play.”

Bohannon said he was bedridden and couldn’t walk for the first two weeks after his surgery.

When Bohannon started running with athletic trainer Brad Floy, he said he felt a sense of relief. Bohannon noted that he’s progressed more these past three weeks than he has in his entire recovery time.

Bohannon said he knew something wasn’t right with his hip before last season started, but he still played on it without mentioning the pain to Floy or the coaching staff until the Hawkeyes played Ohio State in Columbus on Feb. 26.

Bohannon took injections for the rest of the season. Now, he’ll have a chance to potentially play his senior season at full health.

“I’ve known him for six-plus years, and that kid’s a warrior,” Iowa forward Ryan Kriener said. “I think he’s playing. But that just all depends on how his hip goes. If he gets into some games and it’s not good enough for him, he’ll have to shut it down.

“But personally, I know how much of a warrior he is. I know how much it weighs on him to go through rehab and not have to just sit on the side and not do practice. He’s a competitor. I think once the season gets going and the competitive juices start flowing, he’ll have to play.”

Although Bohannon can’t do everything he needs to do on the court at this point in his recovery, he can do one thing he’s been doing on the floor for years: lead.

Bohannon has been through a lot in his time in Iowa City, finishing in the team’s top three in scoring each of the past three seasons, and his knowledge and experiences have already helped his new teammates.

“He helps me with everything, to be honest,” freshman point guard Joe Toussaint said. “Whenever I have a question I just go up to him… Just getting basic points about coach [Fran McCaffery], what he likes, what he doesn’t like, stuff to take upon myself.”

Whether he plays this season or not, the job of a teacher is something Bohannon will continue to embrace.

“That’s definitely a big role that I need to play if I end up not playing this year, especially with Joe T coming in and Patrick [McCaffery],” Bohannon said. “I can kind of use my experience and my expertise to try to help them out as much as possible throughout the year, because I’ve had a lot of experience under my belt the last three years.”