Jordan Bohannon Sets Record in Iowa Win

It’s all about the “why,” Jordan Bohannon said.

Why he got up at 4:30 a.m. to shoot basketballs in the morning in high school. Five hundred makes, he said, was the goal.

Why he came to Iowa. He said he saw the names on the lists of the Big Ten’s all-time shooters, and he wanted to top it.

Why he came back for a sixth season, a journey, his coach would say, that will be so much different than the other years in Bohannon’s lengthy career.

The shot that Bohannon made just 2 minutes, 4 seconds into Thursday’s game against Alabama State was created many years ago.

It was something Bohannon, Iowa’s sixth-year senior guard, thought about after the 108-82 win at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on a night when he became the Big Ten’s all-time leader in 3-pointers.

He thought about all of it. He thought about the whys.

The whys mattered.

“It’s been a battle, for sure, to get to this point,” Bohannon said.

Bohannon had four 3-pointers, finishing with 12 points. He now has 378 in his career, four ahead of Ohio State’s Jon Diebler, who made sure to call Bohannon after the game and “give me crap,” Bohannon said, for playing as long as he has.

It just seems that way, of course — Bohannon needed just three more games to pass Diebler.

“I’ve always been about the bigger perspective and understanding that,” Bohannon said.

“If you think about it, it’s really amazing because there are a lot of really good players in this league, especially a lot of good 3-point shooters,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “You have to work really hard to accomplish something like that, I’m not talking about during the offseason I’m talking about since you are a little kid. Dreaming one day that you are going to play at this level and perform consistently the way he has is truly impressive and I’m really happy for him and proud that I got to coach him.”

That list of players has been on Bohannon’s mind for a long time.

“Freshman year of high school,” Bohannon said.

Really?

“Freshman year in high school,” Bohannon said. “I knew I could break some records when I got to Iowa and got an opportunity.”

Bohannon was just two nights removed from a 1-of-10 shooting night — 1-of-9 in 3-pointers — in an 86-69 win over North Carolina Central.

He thought about his freshman season, when he was 0-of-8 in a loss at Michigan State, and teammate Peter Jok texted him with a simple message — keep shooting.

It was a lesson to bury a game as soon as it ended.

“You have to,” Bohannon said.

Bohannon had tied Diebler’s mark on Tuesday, and then broke it on his second shot in this game.

It was the second 3-pointer of the game for the Hawkeyes on the night they would make 20, setting a new program record.

Freshman Payton Sandfort, who had five 3-pointers in the game and finished with 21 points, laughed when someone asked if he was trying to go after Bohannon’s record.

“I made, like, what, my seventh tonight?” Sandfort said. “That’s a long way to go.”

Bohannon thought about something Sandfort said to him a couple of weeks ago. Bohannon was giving Sandfort a ride back to his dorm when Sandfort cracked a joke about Bohannon’s lengthy career — everyone, it seems, has a one-liner for him.

And then Sandfort said something that made Bohannon smile.

“He was like, ‘Dude, you’re like my hero,’” Bohannon said. “It’s kind of cool hearing that. You’re playing with a guy who thought so much of me to want to play at Iowa, to kind of emulate my game a little bit, shoot the ball like I did. That’s what I came back for.”

McCaffery remembered when Bohannon told him he was coming back. Bohannon would be moving to the ‘2’ guard spot this season, and was enthusiastic about the opportunity.

“When he said he was coming, he was really excited about it,” McCaffery said. “It wasn’t like, ‘Hey, I’m coming back.’ It was, ‘I’m back. I’m ready.’

“He knows this is going to be a different journey than last year. He’s got a different responsibility.”

When the game ended, Bohannon went to his family. The first hug was for his dad, Gordy, who was celebrating his birthday on Thursday.

“It’s kind of a blessing in disguise I didn’t break it the last game,” Bohannon said, with a touch of emotion. “The amount of shots I’ve shot with my dad through the years … it’s, it’s pretty cool.”

Bohannon has battled injuries throughout his career — two hip surgeries limited his 2019-20 season.

McCaffery remembered when Bohannon was a sophomore, and he played every game in a 14-19 season despite the myriad injuries.

“He played all year, every possession, and didn’t say a word,” McCaffery said. “He knew we needed him, and he fought.”

Bohannon still fights.

All about the whys.

“You’ve got to have a ‘why’ in everything you do,” Bohannon said. “If you don’t love what you do, there’s no point in doing it. I love putting my Iowa jersey on, I love playing for Coach McCaffery, I love playing in front of Iowa fans. And that’s why I came back

“It wasn’t for any selfish reason. It was to do what I love.”