Recruiting Report 2020 : Caleb Bowers
Caleb Bowers, 6’1″, CG/PG 2020. Williamsport Wildcats HS. Williamsport, MD.
Grassroots Team: DC Blue Devils 15U
This September 17 we held the Prep Hoops 250 Expo in Qwings Mill, MD at The beautiful McDonogh School located just outside of Baltimore , MD. This was a great event & we discovered many under the radar players who are college prospects from the D3 to D1 level. When we spotted Caleb Bowers we were immediately intrigued with his skill-set & high IQ. Caleb enters his sophomore this season for Williamsport HS who play in western, MD just outside of Hagerstown, MD. The Wildacts are members of the MVAL Antietam Conference which consists of all of the 7 public schools in Washington County. Williamsport has earned 7 Regional Titles & advanced to the MD 2A final 2 times in recent years. Washington County & Hagerstown are known to college recruiters due to St. Maria Goretti HS (recent article) & St.James (article coming) who have produced numerous D1 players. However, the public schools in Washington County remain in obscurity. Williamsport has an excellent team this season and we will be writing a team overview in the next 2 weeks. After watching Caleb & studying his videos we believe he will have a breakout season this season.
Last year Caleb played on the Williamsport varsity as a true freshmen averaging 8 points & 2 assists per game, finishing as the Wildcats #5 scorer. He led Williamsport in 3 point conversions & set a freshmen scoring record for the Wildcats. This spring & summer Caleb played on the DC Blue Devils 15U team. The DCB play on the Under Armour Circuit & are one the top Grassroots organizations in the nation. Caleb played very well for the Blue Devils & shot over 50% from the 3 point line. In summer league play for Williamsport, Caleb averaged 18 points, 4 rebounds & 3 assists per game. This fall he is averaging 22 points & 3 assists per game. The increase in performance are signs Caleb is blowing up. High School players develop at different rates & time frames & on many occasions their body gets stronger, they grow, develop greater skills & become more athletic. The most common jumps occur in the summer & off-season & Caleb says,” This summer I grew to 6’1″ & I got much stronger, my vertical shot up, & my pull up game really developed.”
Over the summer Caleb attended the St.Francis (PA) Elite Prospect Camp & the nearby D1 Mt. St. Marys camp & performed at high level. When we scouted Caleb this September he displayed a very good handle & transition game. Caleb can beat defenders coast to coast with his excellent speed & quickness alone or use his hesitation & go move off the dribble. He proved he can break down his opposition off the dribble & finish at he rim with either hand from both sides. Caleb can convert a very complicated between the leg spin move at the rim & convert a FG with either hand. Caleb’s ability to score in the half court from 1 or 2 dribble pull-ups were eye opening. The same holds true for his 3 point shooting & range. Caleb possesses superb shot mechanics with beyond the college 3 point line range. He squares up & his release is ultra quick, possibly one of the quickest we have seen in the 2020 class. To top things off, Caleb has excellent pop & elevation in his shots from any angle or distance on the court. He exhibited an excellent step back from 3 & the mid range.
What takes Caleb’s game to the next level is that is his unselfishness & he says “One of my top priorities is top get my teammates involved by directing their positioning & spacing. I am a ball mover & consider myself a very good facilitator. Winning is the top priority, and I will make the extra pass. I have very good court & peripheral vision & I can see plays before they develop. I know when to pass & when to score, and I understand the importance of impacting the game without scoring. I will get steals, make deflections, set screens & get most of the 50/50 balls.”
This off-season Caleb trains for basketball 6 days a week & he works out with his teammates 3 times weekly. At school the main focus is strength & conditioning where Caleb works with weights for his upper & lower body. Additionally, the Wildcat players & Caleb perform plyos such a jumping rope, box jumps & resistance bands. They run several times a week which includes a campus run of approximately 1.3 miles, running the stadium stairs & 100 meter sprints. He works out with his Personal Trainer Matt Butts 4 times a week, focusing on basketball skills & improving his athleticism. We asked Caleb how his game has improved over a longer time-span, since the end of his season in March,”As I mentioned my pull up game & strength are very big improvements. Additionally, I have learned to pick my spots better on when to score, getting my teammates the ball in position to score or make the next pass very easy, and my overall PG skills have improved. Some of my current goals are to continue to work on my strength, defense, getting better position & becoming a stronger rebounder.”
In the classroom Caleb maintains a 3.0 plus GPA & is interested in Math & English. He names his mom & dad as role models & both are involved very much with Caleb on & off the court. Rodney Monroe is a Hagerstown & St. Maria Goretti legend & an All ACC player at NC State who Caleb looks up to in his community. In his downtime Caleb studies Ray Allen (Bucks years), Tyler Ulis & Brandon Jennings (early years) from the NBA.
In 2016/17 Williamsport lost in the Regional Finals to Century HS from Carroll County who advanced to the MD 2A State Finals. This season Williamsport is a threat to advance to the MD 2A State semis at the University of MD. However, the Wildcats must go thru neighboring Frederick County power Oakdale who moved down to MD 2A this season. This potential match up would occur in the MD 2A Regional finals. Williamsport will send 4 excellent players to the hardwood in 2017/18 :6’4″ W 2020 Lincoln Ball, 6’7″ 2019 big Ray Becks & 6’5″ senior Jake Ball in addition to Caleb. To date Caleb is receiving interest from UMBC & colleges from the Patriot League.
Check out Caleb Bowers Freshman Year by Caleb Bowers on @hudl http://www.hudl.com/v/27bhfe #hudl