NaVorro Bowman Jr.’s summer run has pushed him into a different tier.
The 6-foot-3 combo guard has gone from one of the standouts of the AAU EYBL season to a consensus five-star prospect in the 2027 college basketball recruiting class, and his scoring is what has done the heavy lifting. Bowman stacked elite performance after elite performance this summer, showing he can put the ball in the basket from just about anywhere on the floor.
Now the recruitment is starting to take shape. Visits are being arranged with five notable programs, and while no official list has been released, those schools are clearly in the mix for one of the best guards in high school basketball. North Carolina is among the teams expected to get a look, with a source telling @LeagueRDY that the Tar Heels are set to host Bowman as they continue their push.
Arizona is one of the other programs in the hunt, and the fit there comes with some moving parts. Caleb Holt, an incoming top-10 overall prospect, could be headed to the NBA Draft after one season, but Arizona also has two transfer guards in JJ Mandaquit from Washington and Derek Dixon from North Carolina. Both could emerge as breakout players and future lead guards, which means Bowman would likely be joining a backcourt where the exact shape of the rotation would still be unfolding.
Illinois is another option worth watching, though its backcourt picture already has some clarity. The Fighting Illini are projected to start Providence transfer Stefan Vaaks alongside top-30 incoming guard Quentin Coleman.
If Coleman turns into a one-and-done, that could open the door for Bowman to make an immediate impact. If not, the landing spot may not be as clean for him.
At North Carolina, the path is different. The Tar Heels already have their backcourt set for next season with incoming transfers Terrence Brown and Neoklis Avdalas, but the long-term outlook is much more fluid.
Depending on how those two seasons go, they could either play well enough to jump to the pros or not play well enough and end up transferring again. New head coach Michael Malone also gives UNC a different kind of selling point, using his NBA head-coaching background to pitch Bowman, whose game is compared to Denver Nuggets star point guard Jamal Murray.
Texas is making its own case. After landing five-star prospect Marcus Spears Jr. for this upcoming season, Sean Miller has a chance to keep the momentum going.
The Longhorns’ backcourt is also young, led by Colorado lead guard transfer Isaiah Johnson. Even if Johnson isn’t an NBA Draft prospect yet, he and Bowman could share the floor, and with Spears in the mix, Texas would be a fascinating 2027-28 team to watch.
Then there’s UConn, where the pitch starts with Dan Hurley’s track record. The two-time national champion coach has built a reputation for developing guards, and the roster churn there could line up well for Bowman.
Braylon Mullins could have been a first-round pick in the recent NBA Draft, but he returned. A year from now, he’ll likely be gone, along with starting point guard Silas Demary Jr. and possibly either Colben Landrew or Junior County, both of whom are incoming freshmen drawing plenty of attention.
If at least two of those players move on, Bowman would have room to step in as a lead guard next to Solo Ball.
In Other News...
Illinois Fans Have Every Right To Feel Underrated Again
CBS Sports projected AP Top 25 for the upcoming 2026 college football season left Illinois out, a reminder that the Illini still have a lot to prove in the eyes of the national media. That kind of snub is hard to ignore after a recent run that has already started to change the way the program is viewed, even as the roster takes another turn under center with Luke Altmyer gone and transfer quarterback Katin Houser now in place.
Houser gives Illinois a fresh start at quarterback, but the bigger question is whether the Illini can carry enough momentum to force their way back into the conversation before preseason rankings are set. For a fan base that has watched this team earn more respect than it often gets, the omission feels familiar, and it sets up another year in which Illinois will likely have to keep proving itself before anyone outside Champaign is willing to buy in. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois May Have Found Unexpected O-Line Depth This Fall
Illinois has spent fall camp sorting through the usual questions up front, and one of the more interesting developments has been the early rise of freshman offensive lineman Champ Smith. He arrived on campus in January, has taken reps at both left and right tackle, and has worked his way into the two-deep while giving the staff a look at a player who seems to have more versatility than most newcomers bring this quickly.
Champ Smiths progress has been tempered a bit by a recent injury, which has limited him as camp has rolled on, but the long-term view around him still looks promising. For Illinois, the appeal is obvious: if a freshman can show enough polish to handle both tackle spots this early, he could become a meaningful part of the line picture before long, even if the immediate focus remains on getting him healthy and back into the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois Opens With Another Chance To Silence AP Top 25 Doubters
Illinois opened the 2026 college football season on the outside of the AP Top 25 looking in, even after putting together a run that has changed the way the program is viewed nationally. The Illini received nine votes in the first poll, a reminder that respect in August can still lag behind the progress shown on the field, where the program has reached three bowl games in the last four seasons and spent time in the rankings in three of the past four years.
Now comes the familiar task of turning that momentum into an actual spot in the poll. Illinois has built enough recent credibility through its coaching and recruiting work to stay in the conversation, but the opening week omission also keeps the pressure on to prove the early optimism is justified and to climb quickly into the top 25 picture once the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]