Tanner addresses Brian Bowen situation as NBA draft deadline looms

South Carolina's Brian Bowen declared for the NBA draft on Wednesday. He hasn't hired an agent, meaning he can return to the Gamecocks.

The deadline for underclassmen to decide to stay in school or go pro is May 30, 10 days following the end of the NBA combine.

Bowen, however, is not a normal underclassman. The freshman and centerpiece to the FBI's probe into college basketball must be reinstated by the NCAA to play in games. The former McDonald's All-American and Louisville signee enrolled at USC in January.

On Friday — some seven months after initial reports of Bowen's connection to a case that's rocked the sport and led to Rick Pitino's dismissal — Carolina athletics director Ray Tanner provided a brief update of where things stand.

"It's moving along," Tanner said. "(Compliance director) Chance Miller has done a wonderful job handling that. I think that y'all know everything that I know, based on what has been reported about the process and the way it's handled.

"But he's submitted his name and he'll go through the process to see where he's projected in the draft."

Bowen's draft declaration is seen as a precautionary move in case the NCAA doesn't certify him to play with the Gamecocks. With the May 30 deadline, can USC do anything between now and then to speed up the NCAA's ruling on Bowen?

"No, there really isn't," Tanner said. "They've got to do their work and we're on their timeline. So hopefully we'll have the information that will work."

This story was originally published April 20, 2018 at 1:57 PM with the headline "Tanner addresses Brian Bowen situation as NBA draft deadline looms."