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Bohannon boosts UNI with work ethic, shooting ability
Jul. 30, 2014 3:41 pm
NORTH LIBERTY - Matt Bohannon's summer regimen puts the Northern Iowa junior in the gym at 6 a.m. three days a week shooting hoops.
By 7 a.m., Bohannon takes 750 shots. The accounting major once compiled his shots the way he'll track finances for his future employer. A machine now figures his shooting percentage, like a calculator.
'We've actually got a couple new machines this summer called The Gun and it counts makes, misses, percentages,” Bohannon said. 'So I don't have to do it in my head and write it on a piece of paper anymore.”
The Prime Time League also keeps statistics, and Bohannon's are, well, off the charts. Entering Thursday's championship game, the 6-foot-4 shooting guard leads the league in scoring at 28.2 points a game. He's drilled 46 percent of his 3-point attempts from different locations, whether or not there's a hand in his face.
While Bohannon has wowed the fans and media during the six-week summer league, he's also impressed his current UNI teammates this summer. Sure, they smack hands after a 3-pointer or try to defend him before he buries one in his face, but UNI's players notice his dedication as much as his performance.
'He gets in the gym every morning at 6 and gets up at 5 and gets up 700 shots,” UNI senior point guard Deon Mitchell said. 'He's consistent. He just wants to be the best he can. He's going to be one of the best shooters to come through UNI. I think he's going to be one of the best next year.”
Bohannon, a Linn-Mar graduate, started all 31 games last year for the Panthers and averaged 9.9 points a game. He increased his scoring to 12.0 per game in Missouri Valley Conference action and earned a spot on the league's all-improved team. In MVC-only games, Bohannon led the league with 61 3-pointers.
The Panthers (16-15) didn't play in the postseason, but Bohannon still attended college basketball's showcase event in April. His brother, Zach, competed for Wisconsin, which advanced to the Final Four. Matt Bohannon and his family drove to Arlington, Texas to take in the festivities, which included his charismatic older brother earning face time with former presidents and celebrities.
'I took a couple of days off from school because I wanted to go down there with my whole family - even our little dog - we drove down,” Bohannon said. 'We had a great time. It was probably the best couple of days we've had as a family in a long time. Just being able to be there for Zach and knowing what he put in. He didn't play a whole lot but knowing what he put in for the team, it was just a real special thing.”
The trip also fueled Bohannon's competitive fire. UNI returns its top six scorers from last season and every player but one that started a game. That includes first-team all-MVC forward Seth Tuttle - who Bohannon said was the MVC's best player last year - and veteran point guard Deon Mitchell, both incoming seniors. Junior Nate Buss started just four games but averaged 10.6 points and was team captain of the Valley's all-bench team.
'We have a lot of skilled players, and it's going to come down to getting it done when it comes to crunchtime,” Bohannon said. 'Last year me and Seth were talking and about 10 games didn't go in our favor just because we didn't play the way we should have when it came down to crunchtime.
'Last year we had high expectations, and we kind of forget or didn't really realize that we didn't have that much experience. I think that was something that hurt us a little last year. Through all of that, this summer we are grinding it out and really making sure that none of that is going to be a factor. We're really looking forward to some big things.”
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