What South Carolina’s new five-star told ESPN about Louisville scandal, his role

Weeks before the Wednesday revelation he’d join the South Carolina basketball program, five-star former Louisville signee Brian Bowen sat down on ESPN’s Outside the Lines.

There he denied knowing about an alleged $100,000 going to his father as part of a attempt to steer him to Rick Pitino’s Cardinals. The FBI investigation cost Pitino his job and also swept up former South Carolina assistant coach Lamont Evans.

"I was shocked," Bowen told ESPN’s Jeff Goodman. "I didn't believe it at all. ... They have to be lying. There's no way I'm involved in it.

"I don't know anything about it."

Bowen said he had not spoken to his father about the situation and that he didn’t believe his father took money.

"No one pressured me to go to Louisville or any other school," Bowen said. "I made the ultimate decision."

After landing with USC, Frank Martin said in a school release that Athletic Director Ray Tanner, school President Harris Pastides and the board of trustees helped get Bowen in position to join the Gamecocks. Tanner said South Carolina will work with NCAA compliance to get Bowen eligible next season.

"My biggest thing is that I want to play college basketball," Bowen said. "There are other routes I can go. I could go play in Spain or Australia or in Lithuania with the Ball brothers. But my dream was to play college basketball.

"I feel like I'm a victim because of greedy adults."

This story was originally published January 10, 2018 at 6:06 PM with the headline "What South Carolina’s new five-star told ESPN about Louisville scandal, his role."