Prospect Spotlight: Bowen Born (2020)
Not only is Norwalk combo-guard Bowen Born one of the Iowa’s best shooters, but he’s one of the state’s most crafty finishers at the rim, and is climbing the ball-handling charts too.
The 5-foot-9 point guard — Iowa’s 3rd-ranked 2020 — has been working of late to take his handles from good to great, and it will be a matter of time before college coaches are clamoring over the sophomore triple-threat.
So far, it’s UNI and Wayne State which have invited him to elite camps, look for that college interest to swell in the next 12 months.
“I think one of the things I’ve worked on most throughout the offseason was having the ball tighter with my handle. I felt like last year I was kind of loose with the ball, so my dad (former Iowa State guard Mike Born) and I have worked on being tight with the ball, and just taking care of the ball,” said Born.
“And another thing is just working with my right-hand, like coming off screens with my right hand and bringing the ball up the court and things like that.”
The supremely skilled guard, a lefty, recently finished his 15U offseason with the Iowa Barnstormers, one of the nation’s best teams.
“This summer was really good. Obviously, we have a ton of talent, so being a point guard on that team was easier because we have Masen Miller as a shooter and Even (Brauns), being able to pass the ball to him,” said Born. “I thought it was pretty easy for me to distribute the ball and things like that.”
Born can now shift his focus to his sophomore season at Norwalk, which is just three months away.
Last season he made a big splash in the Little Hawkeye Conference. Expect him to become a bonafide star this winter.
“As a team, the main goal is to be conference champion, that’s always a goal. And for myself, last year I got second-team all-conference, so this year I’d like to get first-team. And depending how we do, maybe first-team all-state or second-team, anything like that,” said Born.
“I’d say the expectations of the team are pretty high, just because I think with all the guys returning this year could be a lot different than last year, record-wise. I think we’ll be able to finish a lot of those close games. And with Luke (Vaske) heading into his senior season, I think that duo of me and him could be pretty exciting.”