After going through NBA pre-draft process, BC’s Ky Bowman ready to lead
Hopes to make junior season a big one
Stephen Hewitt Monday, July 09, 2018
For two seasons, Ky Bowman and Jerome Robinson formed one of the top backcourts in the ACC. In the 2017-18 campaign, the duo helped Boston College reach its first postseason appearance in seven years and they unsurprisingly attracted interest from the NBA.
Bowman and Robinson still had college eligibility remaining as they each declared for the NBA draft in April, when it was still unclear where they might be selected. But as Robinson rapidly moved up boards during the pre-draft process, ultimately selected No. 13 overall by the Los Angeles Clippers and the first lottery pick in BC history, it became clear this wasn’t Bowman’s time just yet.
After nearly two months of workouts, feedback and discussions, the point guard decided in late May to withdraw from the draft and return to school for his junior season, hoping another year of development will help his stock next spring. Bowman didn’t receive any guarantees of where he would be drafted — or if he even would be at all — and that made the decision logical.
“If he was a first-round pick, I would have helped him pack,” BC coach Jim Christian said. “But the feedback was that he wasn’t a first-round pick at this time. He’s gonna be, he’s not right now.”
If Bowman continues on his current trajectory, being a first-round pick next spring certainly is not out of the question. After a standout freshman season, he made big strides as a sophomore, finishing as the fifth-highest scorer in the ACC at 17.6 points per game while also directing the BC offense.
Bowman has all the tools offensively. He’s a point guard with a scorer’s mentality, which NBA teams should covet. But the biggest piece of feedback he took from his pre-draft workouts and meetings with NBA coaches and general managers is he has room to improve on the defensive end.
Bowman said defense was a priority last season, too, but when Deontae Hawkins went down with a season-ending injury early in the year, it changed his role and forced him to pick up more responsibility on offense. Not only was Bowman playing 38 minutes per game due to BC’s lack of depth, but he was also exerting more energy in those minutes on the offensive end, which forced him to take some plays off defensively to preserve himself. He said NBA teams noticed.
So this summer, he’s taking a different approach.
“The biggest thing is trying to become an elite defender,” Bowman said. “This summer, I’m trying to condition my body to be able to guard on defense for the whole 40 minutes and play offense the whole 40 minutes, so just trying to eat right and the main thing for me is trying to build my nutrition, so just to make sure my body is right, make sure I’m doing the right things off the court to maintain my body and shape as far as getting back on the court and being able to defend the whole night.”
To get where he wants to be, Bowman also has something of a blueprint to follow in Robinson. As a sophomore, Robinson showed glimpses of his potential before exploding as a junior, becoming an All-ACC selection and the runner-up for the league’s player of the year. The consistency that Robinson showed helped him become a high NBA draft pick.
Bowman is following a similar path. After an impressive sophomore season, he has the opportunity to blossom as a junior the way Robinson did.
“Jerome found a level of consistency, and I think that’s what Ky’s gotta find, where he’s one of the elite players in the ACC every single night,” Christian said. “He’s definitely one of the elite players, but to be one of the elite players every single night I think is what everybody wants. He wants it, the NBA wants to see it, we want it and I just think there’s no doubt that’s going to happen.”
Christian has no doubt because he sees the work Bowman is exhibiting. After withdrawing from the draft, Bowman went out to Los Angeles with BC teammate Jordan Chatman to participate in NBA-level workouts. The two worked out with a group of players that included Blake Griffin and Michael Carter-Williams, and the daily workouts included early wake-ups, yoga and NBA-geared drills specifically designed to help him improve as a point guard.
Last summer, Bowman joined Robinson for a similar program in California, but he arrived late because he was still recovering from a knee injury suffered at the end of his freshman season. This time, he was full strength and all in.
“Just building confidence knowing I have to pick up a leadership role,” Bowman said. “Bigger than I had to last year as far as me being a point guard, but also this year I have to direct the team on and off the court.”
Perhaps even more than his own individual development, the NBA will be watching how Bowman handles greater responsibility at BC next season. Without Robinson, he’s now the unquestioned leader of an Eagles team with NCAA tournament aspirations, and he said he’s hungry to taste March Madness.
For several reasons, this is about to be the biggest year of Bowman’s career as he sets his sights on his long-term future.
“I’m just excited to help him improve,” Christian said. “I’m excited to get back in the gym and just keep developing him. He’s such a hard worker, he’s got such a great work ethic and such a passion for the game. He’s easy to coach. And now I want that to spread to other guys on our team. Now his leadership role is going to be much more significant. Making the game easier for the other players is going to have to be something that he does, and he’s capable of doing all of it, and he’s already done it.”
Hopes to make junior season a big one
Stephen Hewitt Monday, July 09, 2018
For two seasons, Ky Bowman and Jerome Robinson formed one of the top backcourts in the ACC. In the 2017-18 campaign, the duo helped Boston College reach its first postseason appearance in seven years and they unsurprisingly attracted interest from the NBA.
Bowman and Robinson still had college eligibility remaining as they each declared for the NBA draft in April, when it was still unclear where they might be selected. But as Robinson rapidly moved up boards during the pre-draft process, ultimately selected No. 13 overall by the Los Angeles Clippers and the first lottery pick in BC history, it became clear this wasn’t Bowman’s time just yet.
After nearly two months of workouts, feedback and discussions, the point guard decided in late May to withdraw from the draft and return to school for his junior season, hoping another year of development will help his stock next spring. Bowman didn’t receive any guarantees of where he would be drafted — or if he even would be at all — and that made the decision logical.
“If he was a first-round pick, I would have helped him pack,” BC coach Jim Christian said. “But the feedback was that he wasn’t a first-round pick at this time. He’s gonna be, he’s not right now.”
If Bowman continues on his current trajectory, being a first-round pick next spring certainly is not out of the question. After a standout freshman season, he made big strides as a sophomore, finishing as the fifth-highest scorer in the ACC at 17.6 points per game while also directing the BC offense.
Bowman has all the tools offensively. He’s a point guard with a scorer’s mentality, which NBA teams should covet. But the biggest piece of feedback he took from his pre-draft workouts and meetings with NBA coaches and general managers is he has room to improve on the defensive end.
Bowman said defense was a priority last season, too, but when Deontae Hawkins went down with a season-ending injury early in the year, it changed his role and forced him to pick up more responsibility on offense. Not only was Bowman playing 38 minutes per game due to BC’s lack of depth, but he was also exerting more energy in those minutes on the offensive end, which forced him to take some plays off defensively to preserve himself. He said NBA teams noticed.
So this summer, he’s taking a different approach.
“The biggest thing is trying to become an elite defender,” Bowman said. “This summer, I’m trying to condition my body to be able to guard on defense for the whole 40 minutes and play offense the whole 40 minutes, so just trying to eat right and the main thing for me is trying to build my nutrition, so just to make sure my body is right, make sure I’m doing the right things off the court to maintain my body and shape as far as getting back on the court and being able to defend the whole night.”
To get where he wants to be, Bowman also has something of a blueprint to follow in Robinson. As a sophomore, Robinson showed glimpses of his potential before exploding as a junior, becoming an All-ACC selection and the runner-up for the league’s player of the year. The consistency that Robinson showed helped him become a high NBA draft pick.
Bowman is following a similar path. After an impressive sophomore season, he has the opportunity to blossom as a junior the way Robinson did.
“Jerome found a level of consistency, and I think that’s what Ky’s gotta find, where he’s one of the elite players in the ACC every single night,” Christian said. “He’s definitely one of the elite players, but to be one of the elite players every single night I think is what everybody wants. He wants it, the NBA wants to see it, we want it and I just think there’s no doubt that’s going to happen.”
Christian has no doubt because he sees the work Bowman is exhibiting. After withdrawing from the draft, Bowman went out to Los Angeles with BC teammate Jordan Chatman to participate in NBA-level workouts. The two worked out with a group of players that included Blake Griffin and Michael Carter-Williams, and the daily workouts included early wake-ups, yoga and NBA-geared drills specifically designed to help him improve as a point guard.
Last summer, Bowman joined Robinson for a similar program in California, but he arrived late because he was still recovering from a knee injury suffered at the end of his freshman season. This time, he was full strength and all in.
“Just building confidence knowing I have to pick up a leadership role,” Bowman said. “Bigger than I had to last year as far as me being a point guard, but also this year I have to direct the team on and off the court.”
Perhaps even more than his own individual development, the NBA will be watching how Bowman handles greater responsibility at BC next season. Without Robinson, he’s now the unquestioned leader of an Eagles team with NCAA tournament aspirations, and he said he’s hungry to taste March Madness.
For several reasons, this is about to be the biggest year of Bowman’s career as he sets his sights on his long-term future.
“I’m just excited to help him improve,” Christian said. “I’m excited to get back in the gym and just keep developing him. He’s such a hard worker, he’s got such a great work ethic and such a passion for the game. He’s easy to coach. And now I want that to spread to other guys on our team. Now his leadership role is going to be much more significant. Making the game easier for the other players is going to have to be something that he does, and he’s capable of doing all of it, and he’s already done it.”
