Bowden seizes opportunity

All 6-foot-4 senior shooting guard Jordan Bowden needed was the opportunity to show what he was capable of.

The native of Knoxville (Tenn.) made the move to Greenville (S.C.) 22 Feet Academy to increase his exposure and play tougher competition and in the process his game has taken off.

A year ago, the slippery off-the-dribble scorer wasn't on anybody's radar and this year his play has elicited recent offers from the likes of Cincinnati, Marquette Providence, Tennessee and Utah, making him one of the most sought after remaining wing prospects in the class of 2016.

As Bowden's head coach at 22 Feet, Ryan Schmidt has been able to see the progression of three-star prospect first hand. Schmidt talked about Bowden's development and what he's looking for in the process.

“He had nothing when he came here, maybe some low major interest. He’s had a heck of a year and put on some weight and things have taken off from having no offers to now five high majors offering him."

“The kid works his butt off. He’s a hard worker and he’s humble and stays after it. Coaching him, whether it’s a team practice or an individual workout he puts in the work. I can’t remember him having one bad practice all season."

“He’s handled this thing so remarkable. He’s so mature and taking his time and building relationships. All of the coaches rave about how it is interacting with him. He's good on the phone, he's not short with text messages and he gets back to them.

"Talking with Jordan, relationships with the staff have been huge and also style of play is huge. Once he sets the visits, I don’t want to sound too clichéd, but it’s really finding a place that feels like home."

Often times when prospects pop up this late in the recruiting process we view them with a lot of skepticism. However, having seen Bowden play at a few events this season we can see what coaches are thinking.

Bowden is a lengthy two guard capable of stripping the nets from deep and he can put the ball on the floor and create. He's a guy who can play some point guard on the high school level and while he won't likely be running a team in college, he can be an effective secondary ball handler.

He's a value recruit at this point in that he has a high upside and has a huge ceiling for growth once he gets into a college program and adds strength.

22 Feet still has one more event left to play this season and they'll finish up after next week's Grind Session National Championship in Lawrence, Kansas.

After that, look for Bowden to move quickly to set up visits. Utah and Cincinnati already pushed hard to land in-season visits but schedules just couldn't get worked out.

At this point we don't see a favorite, but it is certainly interesting to note that Rick Barnes is rebuilding an SEC program in Bowden's hometown and has now offered.