Adrian Bowie has become a lot of things this year: a member of an ACC title-winning team, a talking point for the future, and even an inside joke (Anthony!). One thing he hasn't been: a consistent offensive option.
Until now, that is.
All year, people (me absolutely included) talked about his struggles with his shot, handles, and halfcourt offense in general. His stats for the year have been relatively quiet: about 15 minutes and 4 points per game, shooting barely 40% from the field and 34% from three. His shooting ability and confidence were questioned.
The last three games, though, it seems as if a switch has been turned on. His line for the past trio of contest: 9-9 from the field, 3-3 from deep, 21 points. For those of you math-challenged, that means he's averaging 7 points per game in the past three, and shooting a cool 100% from both the field and three-point line in doing so.
It may not win him any awards, but his presence in the last three games has been key for the recent streak. Think about it - all three of the games were extremely close, and in all three his points came at big times to buoy Maryland. He's doing exactly what a sixth man should do, and he's done it with confidence, which is perhaps the biggest improvement - he no longer looks tentative and unsure, but strokes his jumper with confidence. It helps that it falls with consistency.
Adrian's emergence has been great to see, and very encouraging for next year, when he'll likely be given a chance to see what he can do at PG. He's still a natural SG to me and I don't remember seeing him without one of Maryland's two other PGs on the floor, but the rise in confidence level leads me to believe that he deserves a look at it. If it doesn't work, then move him back to SG and give one of the young'uns a shot.
All the same, all that matters right now is that he hasn't missed a shot in the past three games, his confidence is at an all-time high, and Maryland is reaping the benefits to continue their great season-ending run. This new-found strength could be a big factor in any sort of post-season run.