One of the key reasons the Iona Gaels were able to win three games in three days in March was Tre Bowman’s contribution in the MAAC championship game against Manhattan.
Bowman’s 20 points off the bench helped lift Iona to a 60-57 win over Manhattan in the tournament championship. However, this season and after adding a year of experience, the senior has struggled to find his consistency.
“We’re just trying to get him comfortable within different roles,” Iona head coach Tim Cluess said, who has shifted Bowman from the starting lineup to coming off the bench multiple times this season.
The now senior said he wants to be more consistent and has started to show progress. After being held without a point at Northern Iowa, Bowman made 13 three-pointers in the month of January – one fewer than the amount of three’s he made during the combined months of November and December.
“My role is just make open shots and play well and play consistent,” Bowman said. “That’s how I see my role on this team. I’ll practice as hard as I can every day, but when the games come, I just I want my practice to carry over into the game.”
The senior started conference play on the bench in the month of January and broke out for a team-high 23 points in the Gaels’ 118-92 victory over Niagara. Not only did Bowman drain four three-pointers, but all his made field goals helped Iona set a new record of 34 assists in a game.
“I feel like he brings everything,” sophomore A.J. English said of Bowman. “Whatever we need: from his energy, from his scoring the basketball or getting a spectacular dunk or on the defensive end, I feel like he brings everything to the table for us.”
For Bowman, he said that being a part of the starting lineup does not matter as long as he continues to play in his role in Cluess’ style which he said is a perfect fit for his game.
“If I don’t start, it doesn’t matter to me, but I mean of course I want to start, but it doesn’t really matter to me,” Bowman said.
For a group that has won three of their last four after absorbing a four-game losing streak, the Gaels appear to be putting together a start that will help them fight for the top of the conference.
“I just think we’re coming more together as a team,” Bowman said. “In the beginning, we were all just getting used to seeing how everybody plays, but now it’s just really surprising how much we’ve come together.”
Ryan Restivo covers the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, the America East conference and Hofstra for Big Apple Buckets. You can follow Ryan on Twitter @ryanarestivo or contact Ryan at rrestivo[at]nycbuckets.com.
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