Brain Bowen found himself to be in a no-win situation since the deadline to withdraw from the NBA draft arrived. He had a choice to either stay in the NBA draft even after it is quite unlikely that he will be selected or would return to South Carolina where it is again unlikely that he would be cleared by the NCAA to play in college basketball.
On Wednesday, made his choice and opted to put college basketball in his rear-view mirror and took a chance like a pro. The NCAA enabled Bowen to make an informed decision by telling him that he would be not allowed to play in the 2018019 season at the minimum due to the alleged benefits his family had received to lure him in signing a deal with the Louisville last year.
The NCAA said in a statement released on Wednesday, “After receiving this information, [South Carolina] continued to work closely with Bowen and his attorney, Jason Setchen, over the course of the last few days to provide him with as much information as possible regarding the eligibility ruling so that he could make an informed decision on his NBA draft status.”
And after taking his own time to decide after going through the information given by the university, Bowen has opted to remain in the 2018 NBA draft. Bowen was the recruiter of the recruiting scandal which got Rick Pitino; the ex-Louisville coach fired last year. That time, the FBI had alleged that the Louisville staff and an Adidas executive plotted the conspiracy to acquire $100,000 for Bowen’s family so that they could play at Louisville and represent Adidas after Bowen turns pro.
The team had last year declared that Bowen would not be allowed to practice nor play for the Cardinals. However, he took a transfer to South Carolina and petitioned there to get the right to play for the Gamecocks in the next season. Failing to play in the college team is a big blow for Bowen’s hope of ever reaching the league. So instead Bowen will now have to try and catch up with a G League and prove that he is eligible in the NBA’s minor league.
