BTPowerhouse 25 - No. 13 Jordan Bohannon

In the months leading up to the 2020-’21 college basketball season, BTPowerhouse will be releasing a new series called the ‘BTPowerhouse 25,’ which features the Top 25 players in the Big Ten as voted by members of the staff. All players set to be on Big Ten rosters for next season were eligible during the staff vote with their top selection receiving 25 points and their 25th and final selection receiving 1 point.

Today’s edition will take a look at Jordan Bohannon of the Iowa Hawkeyes, who comes in at number 13 in our preseason player rankings. Bohannon had a limited season last year due to injuries and will look to bounce back in 2020-21 as a much improved Hawkeyes look to contend for a Big Ten title.

BTPowerhouse 25 - No. 13 Jordan Bohannon

• Eligibility: Senior
• Career Totals: 112 games, 3390 minutes, 1310 points, 250 rebounds, 504 assists
• 2018-19 Averages: 8.8 points, 3.3 assists, 1.6 rebounds, 0.8 steals
• Positional Role: Guard

Iowa was hoping to build off a return to the NCAA Tournament last season. Unfortunately they lost a key player early in the season when starting guard Jordan Bohannon underwent hip surgery and missed the remainder of the season. Iowa still had a solid season, finishing 20-11 and 11-9 in the Big Ten. Now with star Luka Garza returning this season and Bohannon healthy the Hawkeyes are looking to make a run for a potential Big Ten and NCAA title.

Player Strengths

Bohannon had a rough start in the ten games he played last season before shutting it down so his numbers weren’t exactly impressive. In his first two seasons he was a lights out three point shooter, hitting 41.6% and 43% respectively. Those numbers dipped a bit in 2018-19, but he still hit 38.3% of his three pointers on almost six attempts per game.

It probably shouldn’t be much of a surprise that Bohannon is also a lights out free throw shooter, leading the Big Ten in free throw percentage in both his sophomore and junior seasons. The ability to convert from the line is key in late game situations, providing a valuable asset for the Hawkeyes in close games. Even more so as he also limited his turnovers the past two seasons.

Bohannon has also shown to be a capable passer, averaging more than five assists per game twice in the past.

Areas For Improvement

Health will be a major concern for Bohannon heading into the season. After struggling with injuries early in 2019 he shut it down and underwent hip surgery. Bohannon should finally be healthy this winter but will he be able to regain his form? Bohannon’s game is highlighted by his ability to shoot the ball and if he loses his touch that would be detrimental to his production on the court.

Also in his last full season he saw his assists drop from 5.4 to 3.4 assists per game. It isn’t a huge issue, but Bohannon was a capable passer his first two seasons before seeing a bit of a dip over the last two years.

It’ll be interesting to see if he can bounce back this winter.

Player Projection

The return of a healthy Bohannon and star center Luka Garza help highlight an Iowa team that returns plenty of talent and will look to compete for a Big Ten title. With Garza inside, having a lights out shooter in Bohannon provides a valuable asset. Mix that with Joe Wieskamp and CJ Fredrick also in the backcourt and you have a loaded Iowa roster that should have no problem scoring.

The biggest question is will Bohannon be fully healthy this year? He should be, but he has been away from the court for almost a year by the time the season starts (depending on when the first game actually happens). If Bohannon can play like he did as a underclassmen he should be ready to help Iowa improve once again this season.

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BTPowerhouse 25 Rankings

• #27-28 - Players That Just Missed The Cut
• #25 - Adam Miller (Illinois)
• #25 - Miller Kopp (Northwestern)
• #22 - Ron Harper (Rutgers)
• #22 - Eric Hunter (Purdue)
• #22 - CJ Fredrick (Iowa)
• #21 - Rob Phinisee (Indiana)
• #20 - Khristian Lander (Indiana)
• #19 - Seth Towns (Ohio State)
• #17 - Nate Reuvers (Wisconsin)
• #17 - Mark “Rocket” Watts (Michigan State)
• #16 - Micah Potter (Wisconsin)
• #15 - Marcus Carr (Minnesota)
• #14 - Joey Hauser (Michigan State)
• #13 - Jordan Bohannon (Iowa)
• To be continued...