Will The Loss Of Peter Jok Prevent Iowa From Returning To The NCAAs?

It's never easy to lose someone like Peter Jok.

A guy who can score from just about anywhere on the floor, excel on both sides of the ball and just be a leader on and off the court.

In his senior season, Jok led the Hawkeyes in points, averaging 19.9 per game while grabbing 5.5 rebounds. His presence will be missed on the offensive end, but there are plenty of returnees and newcomers ready to fill those holes.

Head coach Fran McCaffery returns nine players who averaged at least 12.8 minutes per game last year from a team which went 19-15 and a respectable 10-8 in Big Ten play.

The one interesting thing about that stat is only one of the players who fit that mold is a senior this year, Dom Uhl. The Hawkeyes are one of the youngest teams in the Big Ten, but they are also one of the deepest and experienced squads in the conference.

At this point, it's unclear who will be “the guy” on this team. Meaning, who will have the ball on the last possession? Who will be depended on to get a bucket when needed? Obviously, Jok was that guy last year, and people are curious how the Hawkeyes will handle not having a clear-cut star player to begin the year.

If there were one player, who'd stick out as a guy who will help fill in Jok's role, I'd have to go with sophomore guard Jordan Bohannon.

A 6-foot point guard, Bohannon averaged 10.9 points and 5.1 assists as a freshman last year and showed great poise and leadership in his first year.

In every facet of the game of basketball, a team's success begins at the point guard position. The point guard is the leader, the floor general, the motor which makes a vehicle run.

In his first year in Iowa City, Bohannon showed he could run the show in one of the top conferences in college basketball.

Leading a young team as a freshman is no small task. Bohannon displayed great character and grit which made people realize that Iowa basketball was no joke last season even though expectations weren't very high.

Not having the services of Jok this year will make things a little more difficult for the Hawkeyes, but there are plenty of players along with Bohannon on this team who can contribute and get Iowa back to the NCAA Tournament.

Like I stated earlier, McCaffery may not have his go-to guy right away, but he has a steady, balanced group who can do some damage this year.

With Bohannon running the show at the point, potential starting shooting guard Isaiah Moss will be a name to look out for as he averaged 12.3 in 2016-'17 as a freshman.

The backcourt duo of Bohannon and Moss could be one of the best in the Big Ten this winter, but the Hawkeyes also boasts one of the deepest groups of forwards in the country.

Sophomores Cordell Pemsl and Tyler Cook, juniors Ahmad Wagner and Nick Baer along with the senior Uhl will be one of the strongest and biggest frontcourts in the nation this year. But also, don't forget freshmen Jack Nunge and Luka Garza who will be controlling the paint this year at the five spot most likely for the Hawks.

See, a team without a go-to guy may not be all that bad. A solid, balanced group who shares the rock and plays well together as a unit has better benefits than a key which has to rely on one guy to put the ball in the basket.