On his 23rd birthday, the Hawkeye senior proved that he is a supreme long-range shooter, beating seven competitors.
Peter Jok celebrated his 23rd birthday with another superb display of long-range shooting Thursday, winning the 3-point shooting contest held as part of the Final Four festivities.
Jok, wearing his familiar No. 14 Iowa Hawkeyes jersey one last time and was consistently the best shooter throughout the contest, putting up the highest score in each of the three rounds at the State Farm College Slam Dunk and 3-Point Championships.
"It's really sweet," Jok said in a television interview shortly after winning the men's competition. "I had to win this for the state of Iowa and the South Sudan. Shoutout to the South Sudan."
In a "Battle of the Champions" later, Jok went head-to-head with women's winner Kindred Wesemann of Kansas State. Both scored 16 points, but Wesemann was declared the victor on a tiebreaker.
Jok was born in the Sudan and moved to Des Moines as a child. He graduated from West Des Moines Valley and just finished a four-year career at Iowa that saw him reach No. 15 on the school's all-time points list.
He told the Register two weeks ago that he felt that he was the best 3-point shooter in the nation and that he would win the contest. He was true to his word.
Jok scored 21 points (out of a possible 30) for the best score among the eight shooters in the first round to easily advance to the semifinals. (He was paired with Iowa State's Naz Mitrou-Long, who sported sunglasses and finished with just 11 points.) He scored 22 points in the semis to advance again and then put up 20 points to fend off DeWayne Russell of Grand Canyon, who was shooting in his home gymnasium.
Afterward, the crowd serenaded Jok with "Happy Birthday."
Jok made 84 3-pointers, at a 38-percent clip, during his senior season with the Hawkeyes.
The contest was held at Grand Canyon University Arena in Phoenix.