Brian Bowen's career at South Carolina is over before it started.
Bowen announced Wednesday he will remain in the NBA Draft after the NCAA ruled he’d be ineligible to play for the Gamecocks in 2018-19.
“I am completely devastated by the NCAA’s ruling,” Bowen said in a statement. “All I ever wanted to do was continue my education and play college basketball, however, after learning of the ruling, and discussing it with my family and attorney, I’ve decided to pursue my professional career.”
Bowen was a five-star recruit out of high school and originally enrolled at Louisville, but he never appeared in a game there. He was suspended indefinitely in September following an FBI investigation that alleged his family received payments from Adidas prior to his commitment.
Bowen was granted permission to transfer to South Carolina in January but he was never cleared to play.
South Carolina coach Frank Martin said he enjoyed having Bowen as part of his program.
“Brian dreamt of playing college basketball and selflessly contributed to helping his team get better each day while he was here,” Martin said in a statement. “Participating in college basketball gives young people a tremendous opportunity to learn and grow while enjoying the surroundings being part of a University. I wish Brian had this opportunity.”
Bowen is not project to be selected in Sporting News’ latest NBA mock draft.
