Boise State bringing back reserve guard with ties to former five-star prospect Isiah Harwell

The Boise State men’s basketball team will have at least four returning players from the 2025-26 season.

Guard Julian Bowie is returning to the team for his junior season, the Broncos announced on Wednesday.

The 6-foot-3 Bowie missed the majority of last season after stepping away from basketball following his father’s passing. He appeared in eight games off the bench and averaged six minutes per game.

Instead of entering the transfer portal, the Pocatello, Idaho native opted to stick with the Broncos and head coach Leon Rice.

“The process was really just seeing what type of basketball we were going to play, and the coaching staff reiterated that it’s going to be the style that fits me,” Bowie told Bronco Studios. “I feel like it’s going to be a good year. We’re going to have good guys coming in and good guys returning.”

Bowie is the fourth player from last year’s team to announce his return to Boise State, joining forward Bhan Buom, guard Pearson Carmichael and forward Ethan Lathan. The Broncos have also secured a transfer portal commitment from North Dakota State point guard Damari Wheeler-Thomas.

An unrated prospect coming out of Pocatello High School, Bowie helped carry the Thunder to the 2024 Class 4A state title. He was a two-time 4A Idaho Player of the Year selection.

Bowie appeared in 35 games with two starts as a freshman and averaged 3.9 points and 1.5 rebounds.

While in high school, Bowie played AAU basketball with Isiah Harwell, who went on to finish his prep career at Wasatch Academy in Utah.

Harwell was rated a five-star prospect and the No. 13 overall recruit for the class of 2025. Harwell signed with Houston and averaged 3.6 points and two rebounds in his lone season with the Cougars. The 6-foot-6 shooting guard is in the transfer portal.

Harwell shared the news of Bowie’s return to Boise State on his Instagram page.

Bowie could fit nicely in Boise State’s backcourt rotation alongside Carmichael and Wheeler-Thomas.

The 6-foot-7 Carmichael, the Broncos’ most productive returning player, averaged 7.9 points and 3.1 rebounds last year while shooting 31 percent from beyond the arc.

Wheeler-Thomas averaged 14.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists during his junior season at North Dakota State. The 6-foot guard shot 38 percent on three-pointers.

Boise State will also be counting on Buom and Lathan to shoulder bigger loads next year.

The 6-foot-8 Buom appeared in 22 games as a true freshman last season and averaged 1.6 points and 0.5 rebounds.

The 6-foot-10 Lathan has appeared in five career games during his two years with the Broncos.