Guard Lorne Bowman Blessed to Be Back at Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. – Lorne Bowman owes a lot to his massive forearms.

Among the many advantages those two pipes have given him, they’ve allowed the Detroit native the ability to be highly talented at basketball. He’s parlayed that skill into blissful childhood memories, three all-state selections in high school, and a full-ride scholarship to his dream school at the University of Wisconsin.

It seemed natural to him over the past year, dealing with putting basketball aside to deal with family, that he needed to be reminded of that joy. As he transitioned back into college classes, Bowman added two tattoos to those arms. One was the script name Rochelle, his mother. The other was the word blessed – one syllable that has grown in meaning since last year.

“I am blessed to be back here,” Bowman said, a smile breaking across his face. “I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs, trials and tribulations, but just blessed to be here.”

Bowman committed to Wisconsin in November 2018 for the program’s 2020 class and had a window to provide minutes behind senior point guards D’Mitrik Trice and Trevor Anderson last season. But after 2 1/2 months on campus, Bowman went home following summer workouts to deal with a private family issue. He ended up withdrawing from school during the fall semester.

“I needed to be there,” Bowman said. “It needed my attention. I’m glad I was able to get through that.”

The decision to walk away wasn’t easy, but Bowman became convinced that it was the right one because head coach Greg Gard told him it was. No questioning his reasoning, no wavering in his dedication to the program, just a blanket statement telling him that Bowman has the program’s full support.

That, according to Bowman, convinced him that he would be back with the Badgers. He re-enrolled for classes during the spring semester and took online classes from his home, arriving for summer workouts this past June.

“You get recruited, coaches are going to tell you so many different things, but they (the Wisconsin coaches) always kept it in the forefront of my mind that we care about you the person before you the basketball player,” he said. “This has been a great experience from them.”

The process has been slow, and that’s been OK. Before Friday’s exhibition game, Bowman hadn’t played in a basketball game since his senior year of high school in March 2020. He went through summer conditioning but knew he needed to trim weight to improve his cuts and defensive closeouts. Keying on his diet and focusing his workouts, Bowman dropped around 10 pounds from the first week of August until the team’s reconvened at the beginning of the school year.

“When he came back in September, a definite transformation in him physically,” Gard recalled. “I knew what he has gone through and the time off was going to impact him in the negative. How he transformed his body in the month away from here, changed his diet, really attacked the workout regimen that he put together, and looked totally different.”

The process is still slow moving. Bowman missed two weeks of practice time, including two scrimmages, with an injury. He returned shortly before Friday’s exhibition game against UW-Whitewater, registering two points, two assists and two steals in just over nine minutes.

“I am trying to take one day at a time and try to be patient with myself,” Bowman said. “I really haven’t actually played a lot over the last couple months, the past many months. Ultimately, I know that everything is going to work together for my game and the team. We’re going to be just fine. Ultimately, my game is going to speak for itself.”

His game – a two-way guard who can make plays as an individual or for others – could earn him time in Wisconsin’s backcourt. Only senior Brad Davison and transfer Jahcobi Neath (Wake Forest) have experience playing point guard at the college level. Bowman averaged at least 22 points and 4.9 assists in his final three years of high school and credits his even-keel approach as one of his strongest attributes.

Gard gives him credit for more than that though, like his ability to create, communicate and play within himself with a steady pace.

“I’ve started to see the Lorne Bowman we recruited two, three years ago,” Gard said last month. “The confidence is going up, physically looks much better, able to do more things. He’s played more like what we saw in high school and AAU, and that’s starting to grow. He’s still a freshman and there’s learning to be done, but in a much better place than where he was in June and July.

“The biggest thing for me with him is just making sure he’s happy and healthy and in a good place. I keep talking to him about it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Let’s just take it one day at a time.”

Bowman’s tattoos tell his story, like the one on his chest below his left shoulder that is a reminder of his faith and living every day knowing what the goal is. When he laces up his shoes to practice, he’s already fulfilled one of his objectives.

“(Last year), UW was the No.1 goal to get back here, get back with the guys,” Bowman said. “Being here was the number one goal.”

*Chat about this article in The Badgers' Den

*Check out our videos, interviews, and Q&As on our YouTube channel

*Subscribe and listen to the BadgerBlitz.com podcast (as seen on Apple, Google, Spotify and wherever you listen to podcasts)

*Follow us on Twitter: @McNamaraRivals, @JakeKoco, @TheBadgerNation, @RaulV45

*Like us on Facebook