Iowa Basketball Freshman Preview: Dasonte Bowen

New England Point Guard Competing for Early Minutes

Dasonte Bowen looks forward to arriving at Iowa this summer. Beyond beginning his dream of playing college basketball, the freshman point guard from New England is excited for a potential opportunity on campus. 

"I'm looking forward to maybe getting to play Caitlin Clark 1 on 1," Bowen said. " I played Aliyah (Boston) a couple of times at Worcester (Academy). She’ll never share the real series record, so I’ll keep that quiet. But I definitely would like to continue that tradition."

Clark has earned first-team All-American honors during her first two seasons on the Iowa Women's Basketball team. Boston was the consensus national player of the year in 2021-22 for national champion South Carolina. Boston attended Worcester (MA) Academy with Bowen, who then transferred to Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, NH. 

Beyond competing against some of the country's top women's players, Bowen walks into a nice opportunity with the Hawkeye men. Last year's starting point guards, Jordan Bohannon and Joe Toussaint, are no longer with the program. 

Junior Ahron Ulis returns after averaging 13.9 minutes a game backing up at the one spot last season. Tony Perkins and Connor McCaffery can play point guard if necessary, but might be better served at other positions with this roster. 

Coach Fran McCaffery will give Bowen and Ulis the chance to compete for the starting lead guard spot. Bowen is approaching it with a team-first mentality. 

"I don’t see it as competition when we all have one common goal of winning. My main competitor is myself. My mindset is showing up to work everyday and making sure I leave better than I was the previous day," he said.

"I’ve been waiting for a while, so I'm definitely very excited, eager to learn and finally get to compete with the squad we have this year."

Bowen (6-3, 170) has worked throughout his young life building up to playing in college. He focused during the last year on getting stronger. 

"The preparation started long before this offseason, so the work hasn’t changed. A key factor I’d say is I’ve definitely given my body a lot more attention during this off season, staying in the weight room," he said. 

New England Recruiting Report ranks Bowen as the No. 5 player in the region for the '22 class. Rivals sees him as the No. 37 point guard and No. 146 player overall nationally in the cycle. 

Bowen feels prepared to run Iowa's attack like he did for his prep teams. 

"I'm very knowledgeable about the system. It's one of the big reasons I committed here. Coach McCaffery would show me film of past players and then my own clips, showing exactly how I fit in the system," he said.

The Hawkeye staff has stayed in regular contact with Bowen, building a relationship that's important to have with the coach on the court. He will room with fellow incoming freshman Josh Dix. 

"I have a pretty good relationship with the guys already, but it’ll definitely grow once I’m on campus," he said. 

They share a common vision for his first year on campus. 

"The main goal would definitely be getting back to the (NCAA) Tournament. That’d be a great experience," Bowen said.

You can watch Bowen's highlights HERE.