South Carolina’s Bowen sees NBA draft as option

Prized prospect Brian Bowen may never play a game at South Carolina as he told ESPN on Wednesday that he will declare for the NBA draft to “cover my bases.”

Bowen is still waiting to learn if he will be eligible to play for the Gamecocks this season after being part of the adidas/Louisville situation in the FBI probe into college basketball corruption.

It isn’t known when the NCAA will make a ruling on Bowen’s status but the 2017 McDonald’s American is running out of time. Without a resolution, Bowen wants to be able to participate in the NBA combine from May 16-20 in Chicago.

The 6-foot-7 Bowen said he won’t sign with an agent in the short term so he can retain his college eligibility.

“I just felt that it was the right decision,” Bowen told ESPN. “My goal is still to play college basketball, but I felt as though it makes sense to cover my bases.”

Bowen, a five-star recruit, initially signed with Louisville but was suspended after allegations arose, leading to the dismissal of coach Rick Pitino.

Bowen maintains he did nothing wrong despite the FBI claiming adidas executives paid $100,000 to his family in order to secure his commitment to Louisville.

Upon transferring to South Carolina in January, the school said Bowen would sit out two semesters before playing for the Gamecocks. His first contest, if cleared by the NCAA, would be sometime in mid-to-late December.

There is also the possibility of the NCAA making Bowen sit out a number of games even if the entity rules he is eligible.

Bowen’s lawyer, Jason Setchen, said his client is doing the right thing.

“This is a mature move from Brian,” Setchen told ESPN. “We’re hopeful and have faith that the NCAA will make the right decision and allow Brian to play next season for South Carolina, but he’ll also have the opportunity to be drafted if that doesn’t happen.”

–Field Level Media