The state of Arizona is filled with sleeper prospects, since the state continues to go well under recruited by college programs. While many of the state's elite prospects get deserved recruiting attention, and even at times too much attention, the majority of the state's top sleeper prospects often go unnoticed by smaller college programs.
With so many division-I programs now beginning to scour the state in search of top-rated division-I talent, still smaller college programs have yet to venture to the state on a consistent basis.
A sleeper prospect, for those that do not know, is any prospect that has shown the potential to play college basketball, but has flown well below the recruiting radar. Whether being recruited at the division-I level or at a smaller school level, these individuals have shown that they have the ability to continue their playing careers at the next level - regardless of the level of the school.
One sleeper prospect in the state that proved this spring and summer that he is worthy of college recruitment is Washington High School's skilled 6-foot-6, 180-pound senior guard/forward Jacob Bowman.
Each time I have seen Bowman perform over the past two years, he has scored in a variety of ways and showed a nice ability to put the basketball in the basket - regardless of the defensive pressure placed on him or the talent level of his opposition.
This spring and summer, Bowman was a force for his 17 & under club program, Arizona Power Red - a team coached by longtime club coach Lou Rugalo. Rugalo, a well known real estate agent in the valley, formerly coached the Arizona Stars for many years in the 1990's. Bowman was the leading scorer for Power Red for the majority of the spring and summer, and proved consistently that he can get it done at a high level.
"This kid deserves some recruitment," Rugalo advised me after a contest in this summer's Double Pump Best of Summer tournament in California in July.
Bowman is well-deserving of the honor, as he is among the state's most efficient wing scorers of the basketball. Standing 6-6 in height, Bowman is able to play the shooting guard position or as a small forward, where he is at his best scoring off the dribble and in traffic. He has an excellent mid-range game and can score in bunches and in a variety of ways. His jump shot is strong from 15-18 feet, and he is a solid three-point shooter with good range on his shot. Sporting a very thin frame, as he continues to get stronger physically, Bowman should see his offensive talents progress a great deal over time.
He is a good ball handler and passer, but does not waste many dribbles. Fundamentally sound offensively, Bowman has a good overall feel on the offensive end. He is a good offensive rebounder with excellent length on his frame - allowing him to keep balls alive and in play. He needs to continue to focus on his rebounding prowess on the defensive end of the floor to become a complete player, while also focusing more on his ability to stop his opposition on the defensive end. He has good lateral quickness and is capable of becoming a much better defender over time.
Bowman put up very good numbers last season for a Washington HS team that struggled to win ball games, and I look for him to really put up big scoring numbers this high school season. Bowman should become one of the top overall scorers in the state this high school season.
While schools are not knocking down his door at this point in time, Bowman is definitely worthy of some serious looks from smaller college programs looking for immediate scoring help. His upside as a player is tremendous and in 2-3 years from now with natural maturity and growth, this young man should develop into a very nice talent.
Bowman is also a standout swimmer for his high school program, and also competes on the school's football team. A nice overall athlete with promise as a serious basketball college prospect.
I will keeping a watchful eye on Bowman this high school season, as he returns for his senior season to lead the Rams to the top of the Division-II standings.
