BY JACK LeGWIN
COLUMBIA, S.C.– Brian “Tugs” Bowen, the 6-foot-7 small forward from La Lumiere (IN), expects to make his college decision relatively soon after the New Year.
“That decision process is going very well right now,” Bowen said. “I’m down to my five schools, I’ve taken all of my official visits probably in a couple weeks, or going into January, I’ll make my decision, so we will see where it goes from here.”
Bowen took a bit of time to break down each school in his top five, starting with Arizona.
“Arizona is a big time program and Sean Miller is a great coach,” Bowen said. “Their pitch is their style of play and the amount of guys they’ve got to the NBA at my position, so I really like that about them.”
Michigan State: “Michigan State with Coach (Tom) Izzo, the staff has been on me for a good portion of my life [his cousin, Jason Richardson, played at Michigan State]. It’s a great atmosphere up there, and they have a specific plan for me, so I really enjoy it there.”
N.C. State: “N.C. State, it’s a scoring school. Dennis (Smith Jr.) and all the guys there, they’re playing well right now. I really liked that visit as well. They’ve been on me since ninth grade, so I’ve developed a great relationship with them. They had a whole book of a plan for me, it means a lot.”
Creighton: “I went to Creighton as well. They’re another scoring school, Top Ten program in the nation this year, they’ve made a big leap in their program, and they want me to come in and make a bigger impact.”
Texas: “Last is Texas. I know a couple guys down there, teammates I’ve played with. Coach (Shaka) Smart is a great guy, a great coach overall. Their pitch is that they really need a scorer, and I can bring that for them. I really enjoyed that visit as well.”
Bowen says that a big part of the decision will be centered on relationships with the coaching staffs of each program.
“Whatever fits me the best,” Bowen said. “Whatever coach I like the most, whoever I feel the most comfortable with is what I’m going to decide on. My family as well, is going to be very important, they’re going to be on the road and everything. That’s a big part of it. Conference, style of play, there’s a ton of stuff going on.”
While he has narrowed down his time to announce, Bowen says he hasn’t decided on the way that he will announce yet.
“I don’t know how I’m going to announce yet,” Bowen said. “I haven’t decided yet, I’ll do ESPN or Bleacher Report videos most likely. Bleacher Report is making a big come up with that, I enjoy that a lot, they’ve hit me up about it, but I don’t know what I’m going to do yet.”
