The recruitment of five-star senior Bryce McGowens
On October 8th, Stockrisers.com dropped the bombshell on the recruiting world when we announced that Bryce McGowens would de-commit from Florida State.
Instantly he drew suitors, it took not even a minute after the report went out then McGowens began to hear from programs. Georgia would reach out, along with programs like Nebraska, LSU, Michigan, Oregon, Arizona, Kentucky, Kansas, and several other programs, he was instantly one of the nation’s top-available prospects.
Now, one month later, he’s down to five programs which include Nebraska, Michigan, Georgia, LSU, or head back to his FSU pledge.
I can’t wrap my head around where I believe he should go right now, could be Nebraska for me, could be a return to Florida State. Maybe Tom Crean can use his pre-FSU relationship with McGowens to his advantage or maybe Will Wade could lure him in, who knows. Nobody can tell me right now which program Bryce McGowens will attend but regardless they’re getting a very skilled prospect.
The pro factor is very important. Where will he develop and become a pro the quickest, where will he thrive, and where does his game fit best.
Could he pair with his brother Trey next season at Nebraska? Fred Hoiberg could plug him in instantly and have him be an instant impact on both offense and defense as a true freshman. The staff has completed a handful of virtual visits and has made it clear they really want him.
Florida State? Still squarely in the mix. Not many have said it but the staff has remained in hot pursuit and it is hard to not realize but he is the main priority for the Seminoles program right now. The pitch is simple, he was formerly the program's first pledge. Plus, Leonard Hamilton is going to have two Top-20 draft picks by the end of this month which might be sorta intriguing if you’re a recruit.
The battle of the SEC programs as well, Georgia and LSU both vying to land McGowens’ talent. I know for a fact that Tom Crean has heavily prioritized Bryce from the minute he reopened his recruitment up until he can’t anymore. Both Crean and Will Wade were amongst the first head coaches to call Bryce when he reopened. He took a handful of unofficial visits to Georgia prior to committing to FSU earlier this year.
Juwan Howard’s recruiting roll. Howard brought in arguably one of Michigan’s best pickups ever in Caleb Houstan. The pursuit doesn’t stop there as they’ve been heavily eying McGowens and now that Bryce Hopkins chose Kentucky it’s clear, they could add McGowens. Not sure how heavy of a favorite they are at this point or where they rank amongst the finalists but if there’s one thing we’ve learned this year: Don’t count out Juwan.
That was just me typing without care and just placing my thoughts into text. McGowens just opened up his season and looked very excited to be on the floor. The combo-guard looked very prepared and one thing that really stood out to me was his quick first step and his ability to create space off the dribble. McGowens defines your modern-day big guard and having that first step speed off the dribble is lethal for any offense.