What did South Carolina get out of the Brian Bowen experience? Frank Martin explains
A brief breakdown of incoming South Carolina point guard T.J. Moss from the USC player who hosted him during his official visit: “He’s a floor general. T.J.’s definitely a floor general. We definitely need that, for sure. I’ve seen him play at Findlay Prep against my high school and he held himself really well. His jump shot, his passing, his vision, everything he sees on the court, he’s gonna be a good player in the future.”
The above analysis came from Brian Bowen on May 18 in Chicago. The NBA combine was closing, meaning the days were closing on Bowen’s chances to become Moss’ teammate.
At 4:56 p.m., May 30, things became official: Bowen, upon learning he couldn’t play collegiately next season, chose to turn professional. He won’t share a backcourt with Moss, nor will he make an entry pass to Chris Silva or finish an alley-oop from Hassani Gravett.
Bowen’s South Carolina career spanned 140 days, several practices, but no games. He scored as many points in garnet and black as Frank Martin. He collected as many rebounds as Cocky.
So what did USC get out of this experience?
Moss committed to the Gamecocks on April 15. A.J. Lawson, who is expected to make his decision soon, is considered a South Carolina lean. Bowen also hosted him.
Such examples are just a few of the positives Martin is taking from the brief Bowen era.
“The biggest thing with Brian was who he was as a teammate,” Martin said during a Friday news conference at Williams-Brice Stadium. “I mean, that guy would be in here 10:30 at night shooting basketballs. He’s not playing in games. There was no clarity whether or not he could play in a game for us in February, but that didn’t stop him.
"He had that choice to make, where he’s sitting in his dorm room. ‘OK, there’s a party over at Five Points. I’m 18 years old. That would be pretty neat, man. I’m on a college campus, I’m a popular kid. I can go to Five Points and everyone wants to hang out with me.’ And he had a choice to do that or, ‘Do I go in the gym where no one’s watching and shoot a million balls?’ He’d go in the gym and shoot a million balls.
“So who he is as a teammate helped us. It helped a lot of guys on our team. It helped some guys that are trying to figure stuff out say, ‘Oh, wow, that’s what good players do.’”
Bowen, a former Louisville signee held off the court because of his connection to the FBI’s probe into college hoops, was still in NCAA limbo when he decided to test the NBA waters on April 18. The journey continued through the NBA combine in mid-May.
After competition there, Martin said, Bowen flew to five cities for five consecutive NBA workouts.
“That’s 11 straight days of work,” Martin said.
And when Bowen finally got back to Columbia? Martin made it 12.
“He got off a plane and met us at a restaurant to host a recruit (Lawson) for the weekend,” Martin said. “That’s how much that kid wanted to be here. That’s how much he loves, and continues to love his experience here – and what this was all about.”
In the news release that announced his departure, Bowen noted: “All I ever wanted to do was continue my education and play college basketball.”
In 2018-19, had the NCAA ruled in his favor, Bowen would have teamed with Justin Minaya, his practice sparring partner last season.
Minaya averaged 7.9 points and 4.2 points as a freshman. The 6-foot-5 wing will be in a leading role as a sophomore.
“Justin, starting in January, he got a little tired and didn’t play real well for a stretch there,” Martin said. “Well, by the end of the year, Justin was starting to play good again. Well, one of the reasons is because he couldn’t disengage, which a lot of freshman do. They disengage because they’ve had to mentally and physically stay engaged for such a long period of time.
“Justin had no choice because Brian’s a talented kid. So Justin had to engage in that matchup every single day in practice, so eventually Justin was able to go play. And staying on edge that way helped him.”
Martin said he wasn’t surprised by the NCAA’s eventual ruling on Bowen. He always felt there was a chance he’d never get to coach the 6-7 former McDonald’s All-American.
“I know what I walked into, I know the decision I made,” he said. “Do I regret it? Not one bit because of the person that he is. Was I disappointed? Yes.
“But he’s a proud part of what we do. He’s a Gamecock. I don’t mean to sound cheesy saying that, but that’s him. This is his home now. He’ll forever wear a T-shirt that’s got that block C and take tremendous pride, as we will as he goes through his journey.”
This story was originally published June 16, 2018 at 10:00 AM with the headline "What did South Carolina get out of the Brian Bowen experience? Frank Martin explains."