Brian Bowen Adds Notre Dame Offer
WESTFIELD, Ind. — Notre Dame has put its name in the hat for one of the top juniors in the country.
The Irish extended La Porte (Ind.) La Lumiere forward Brian Bowen an offer on Friday night, after head coach Mike Brey evaluated the five-star junior at Nike’s EYBL event in Indianapolis.
Notre Dame’s staff had seen the 6-6, 175-pound forward in prior settings, but Bowen’s 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting and eight rebounds for Meanstreets on Friday night led to the offer.
“Ever since I got to La Lumiere this year, they’ve been down and watched us a couple games,” Bowen said. “Our assistant coach at my school told me after the game that Notre Dame offered.
“I thought it was a blessing, and I appreciate it. It’s a great program. They’re improving every year. This year they had a great season.”
With La Lumiere only roughly a 40-minute drive from the Notre Dame campus, Bowen has kept an eye on the Irish’s program development. He also attended one of the non-conference home games with the rest of his squad.
“I watched pretty much every [NCAA] Tournament game they played,” Bowen said. “Once it got down to the wire, I watched their style and how they play. It’s a great school.
“It’s a style of play for shooters, and I’m a shooter. It’d be a great position for me. Guys like that, we can get up and down the court. It’s a great program and a great staff.”
With a list of schools that includes Kentucky, Kansas, Duke, Michigan State and Michigan, among others, Bowen is in no rush to wrap up his recruitment. However, he could start making some decisions soon to trim down the process a bit.
“I’m still wide open,” he said. “Pretty soon I might cut my list down, though. I’ll look at whatever school puts me in the best position to achieve my next goals. Whatever my family likes as well, and a great atmosphere. It’s a long process so I’ll look at a lot.
“I really don’t care where I go. I’m open to the whole country. People think I’m locked down to my in-home state schools, but I’m not. I love those schools, but I’m not locked in anywhere.”
Bowen is ranked as the No. 14 overall player nationally in the 2017 class by Rivals.com. On Saturday, with Brey in attendance again, he finished with 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting, six rebounds and three assists in a 75-65 loss to Albany City Rocks.
He said he plans to take some unofficial visits after the evaluation period is finished, including trips to Michigan and Michigan State. He added he could also take one to Notre Dame.