SerpApi.Org
Team USA doesn’t lose games in the 17U FIBA World Cup. That was true once again earlier this month when the Americans capped off a 7-0 run in Turkey with their eighth straight gold medal, taking down Serbia in the title game through a 26-point blowout.
Five different USA players averaged double-digits along the way. And one of them credits his international success to the wise words of Kentucky assistant coach Mo Williams.
“(Williams) was talking to me about how to take it while I was at (USA) training camp,” Class of 2027 prospect NaVorro Bowman Jr., the son of former NFL Player NaVorro Bowman Sr., told KSR over the weekend. “Like what to do so that the coaches like me. He said I was on the right path. He really was a reason why I had great intensity and belief in myself while I was at that camp.“
Bowman, a 6-foot-3 point guard ranked No. 16 overall in his class by the Rivals Industry Ranking, averaged 11.9 points, 3.6 assists, and 2.7 rebounds for Team USA at the World Cup, shooting the ball at a 59.7 percent clip. Bowman stood out next to the likes of Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, Beckham Black, CJ Rosser, and Cayden Daughtry.
It was a big event for the California product, a high-level defender with a growing floor general game who can knock down tough shots. “A dog on both ends, aggressive, and a leader,” is how he described himself as a basketball player.
Williams offered Bowman on Kentucky’s behalf less than two weeks ago, in part because of his play for Team USA. Williams then spent some of his time at the Nike Peach Jam last week scouting Bowman for Team WhyNot. Although he wasn’t nearly as efficient shooting the ball as he was with Team USA, Bowman was still highly productive: 19.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, four assists, and 2.4 steals per outing across five games played in North Augusta, SC.
“Anybody that was in the league that went back down to college is somebody that I’m gonna listen to,” Bowman said of Williams, who spent 13 years in the NBA before getting into coaching.
While Williams is leading the charge in this recruitment, Kentucky head coach Mark Pope has made sure to watch him in action over recent weeks. Bowman says he’s likely to visit Lexington at some point. He’s also hearing from the likes of North Carolina, Arizona, Texas, Illinois, UCLA, and UConn. UNC and UConn are newer schools, but ones quickly ramping up interest. Arkansas just offered him, too.
Bowman has previously said he will “probably” only take five official visits. Stanford, Texas, Arizona, UCLA, and Illinois are the ones looking to fill those spots right now, but Kentucky and North Carolina are trying to wiggle into the mix. Those visits will begin in the coming months now that Pecah Jam is in the books.
