In Appreciation of Jordan Bohannon

When I first watched Jordan Bohannon shoot a basketball, it was in the mid-2000s. My future alma mater, and later his, was undergoing a basketball renaissance. After a Linn-Mar basketball game, my Dad wanted to chat with some parents. Yet, it was another Bohannon - not Jason, who likely dazzled in the prior game, or Zach who I may have been chatting with - who captured my attention.

Jordan Bohannon, all 6 years of him, was draining three pointers with ease that evening to a crowd of dozens.

I should have known then what he has become today and what he might grow into tomorrow.

Bohannon’s stats as this season winds to a close are something to behold:

• One of 11 freshmen to total 80 threes and 150 assists and the only one to do it again his sophomore year
• He’s improved all of his shooting percentages from last year, despite being the most consistent perimeter threat on the Hawkeyes this year
• His name already tops many Iowa records with: most 10-assist games (6), most 3-pointers (89) and assists (175) in a season for a freshman (37 and 35 more than second place)
• He’ll very likely etch his name atop both of those records for career leaders - he is 85 threes behind Jeff Horner’s record of 262 and 271 assists behind 612 assists also held by Horner
• He has an outside chance of becoming the Big Ten’s all-time leading 3-point shooter: passing Jon Diebler’s 374 would require 197 total threes in the next two seasons

But there’s one record he’ll always share which has people talking. The free throw streak record of Chris Street will remain at 34.

Writers have waxed poetic about his decision. As Mark Emmert led, “It brought meaning to an otherwise meaningless game.”

With the miss, Bohannon brought more than just meaning to the basketball game. He brought Chris Street’s memory back to light. If you Google “Jordan Bohannon” right now, nearly everything is tied to Street. Should somebody out there who learn about Chris Street and the passion he played and lived with, it validates Bohannon’s decision further.

When I look back on Jordan Bohannon’s career, I know it will be filled with tons of highlights. I’ll always remember the six-year old draining treys; the game-winning Wisconsin three; the countless 30-footers he’s already put up. One shot will be the best of them all, however.

And that shot was a miss.