As we close in on basketball season, we here at Testudo Times will be previewing the team player-by-player, starting with the freshmen and working our way up to the seniors. We'll be closing it up November 13 (that is, Maryland's first game) with the final player preview plus a full team preview. Check out our previous previews: Ersin Levent/David Pearman, Sean Mosley, Jin Soo Choi, Steve Goins, Jordan Williams, and James Padgett.
Today's Countdown to Tipoff features everybody's favorite ball boy-turned player, Adrian Bowie. The 6-2 junior from Greenbelt, MD looks to build on a solid sophomore season in which he averaged 9 ppg and 2.5 assists.
Now, there are a couple questions surrounding Bowie. Will he start? Or come off the bench? Is the talk of Bowie's improved jump-shot real? Or just hype? We'll find out soon enough as the season tips off in just six days.
If the exhibition game was any indication, Bowie may come off the bench. Hayes started against IUP and performed pretty well. We know that Gary likes to reward seniority but he also won't hesitate to put the best player on the floor. Hayes seemed to perform better last year coming off the bench so I wouldn't be surprised if Bowie gets the starting nod.
In terms of Bowie's supposedly newfound jump shot, it's hard to tell if it's actually improved. Of course, we've only seen one scrimmage and one exhibition game but in both, his shot still lacks arc and his shooting numbers in those two games haven't been too impressive. Still, I'll hold judgement on his new shot until I get to see a few more games.
His Game: Bowie's greatest strength is his ability to get to the hoop. He's quick off the dribble and has the explosiveness to blow by defenders. He's also got pretty decent court vision; and important asset for someone who's likely to play some point this year.
As discussed above, the biggest question mark in Bowie's game is his shooting. Last season, AB was 4th on the team in scoring but shot a dismal 22% from behind the arc. Apparently, he's spent much of the offseason working on his shooting stroke. We'll see if it pays off.
Projection: I think Bowie's shot will be improved this season but by how much is hard to say.
He'll build on his 9 ppg and his assists should go up as well with the addition of the two freshmen bigs. Whether or not Bowie starts is irrelevant to his stats because he'll likely see the same amount of time either way.
If Bowie can shoot the ball a little more consistently, it could be a big year for the Greenbelt native.
Too high? Too low? What are you guys expecting out of AB this season?