It’s a question that many would find puzzling. Admit it, you’re wondering how the two could be put together in the same sentence. Jeff Horner came from Mason City, Iowa, committed to Iowa as a ninth-grader, was ranked among the top 100 recruits in his class, and was the only Hawkeye ever to register four seasons with more than 200 points, 100 rebounds and 100 assists.(Mugshots courtesy of Hawkeyesports.com).
Meanwhile, Jeff Peterson came to Iowa via Hyattsville, Md., with little fanfare as the first recruit at Iowa for head coach Todd Lickliter. In his freshman season he failed to produce even close to what Horner did as a diaper dandy. Peterson averaged more than three turnovers per game in only 24.9 minutes per game. His play frustrated Hawkeye fans more than it excited them.
But take a look at what Peterson has done this year--all while playing with a broken bone in his wrist. While Horner’s sophomore season trumps what Peterson is doing this year, the numbers aren’t enormously in Horner’s favor. Check out how Peterson’s statistics from this year compare to Horner’s sophomore season in 2003-04.
Jeff Peterson (this season):
MPG: 33.0
PPG: 10.6
RPG: 2.4
APG: 4.2
TPG: 3.2
FG%: 45.0
3PT%: 39.7
FT%: 82.5
Jeff Horner (sophomore season):
MPG: 37.4
PPG: 13.0
RPG: 5.3
APG: 4.2
TPG: 2.6
FG%: 44.0
3PT%: 42.5
FT%: 86.0
Final Verdict: Peterson probably won’t match Horner’s career totals--Horner’s school record of 612 career assists is safe for the foreseeable future. However, Peterson has improved tremendously. Horner was recognized as a fabulous shooter and Peterson’s shooting percentages aren’t all that different.
Horner has a sizeable edge in rebounds, averaged more points and turned it over less than Peterson in more minutes. Thus, Peterson has a ways to go. I say Peterson ends up short of reaching Horner’s production but that he makes Hawkeye fans forget that there was ever a point guard problem.
Of course Peterson is never going to be Horner. Different times = different game. However, with no comparisons being made and all critisism aside, Peterson is Iowa's main man this year, and Iowa can and will only build around his success or fail because of his lackluster play. He commits way too many turnovers but he is an interesting piece to Lickliter's puzzle, and when the team is healthy I think he is the one holding it together. I hope he has a bright future in the next couple of years, but there shouldn't be any comparisons - he has his own style of play.
ReplyDeleteHorner and Peterson definitely cannot be compared. Maybe Peterson and Tony Freeman, who's over at Southern Illinois. But Horner built up a legacy as a prep, so without comparing college stats, he has a leg up. Don't give up on Peterson, though, he's a little guy in a big man's conference.
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