How an NBA-heavy basketball upbringing shaped Iowa sophomore hoops standout Bowen Born

NORWALK, Ia. — In third grade, when he still lived in Oregon, Bowen Born played AAU ball with the Portland Fire. Most teams in the area would practice at ClubSport, a gym on the Tualatin River.

Not Born and his teammates.

They’d practice across the street from ClubSport in the Portland Trailblazers practice facility. They’d have an entire NBA court to themselves.

Wait — what?

"Being able to reserve the whole NBA practice facility for a bunch of third-graders was a pretty cool experience," Born quipped after Norwalk basketball practice last Thursday.

Born, a 5-foot-11 sophomore combo guard for the 18-2 Warriors, can’t help but laugh at his basketball upbringing. He understands how fortunate he was. Looking back, he realizes the opportunities he received are borderline absurd.

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But those opportunities helped create the player he is today: One of the state’s most intriguing 2020 prospects, with interest from all four in-state Division I schools.

"His basketball skills and abilities are really on par with some of the best I’ve ever seen," said Chris Larson, Norwalk’s head coach.

Born comes from a basketball family. His grandfather, Gene Klinge, is the all-time winningest coach in Iowa girls’ basketball history. His dad is former Cyclone guard Michael Born, who’s currently a scout for the Charlotte Hornets. Before that, he scouted for the Trail Blazers.

As a result, a young Bowen got to spend time in the locker room with Damien Lillard, Brandon Roy, Lamarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden, among other Blazers stars. He shot baskets in the Moda Center while fans streamed in before games. He stood courtside and watched how Lebron James and Dwyane Wade warmed up.

He got to learn from the best players in the world every day. And he had a personal trainer — Dad — with Division I experience.

Michael always preached fundamentals, especially in Bowen’s shooting form. He wouldn’t let Bowen shoot 3-pointers until fifth grade, because he didn't want his son trying to muscle the ball to the rim and developing bad habits.

It worked: Born is shooting 42 percent from long range this season, and he boasts one of the simplest, cleanest shooting strokes you’ll ever see from a 16-year-old.

"I tell him 'We’re shooting to be better today, we’re shooting to be better for next week, we’re shooting to be better for next month, we’re shooting to be better for next year,'" Michael said. "It’s all part of the journey and the process."

The Borns moved to Norwalk to be closer to family the summer before Bowen’s fifth-grade year. Michael took a job with the Hornets. (Yes, his boss is Michael Jordan. And yes, Bowen once met Jordan at a camp in Las Vegas.)

Michael mostly scouts college and youth talent. He’ll travel about 10 to 12 days per month, watching college games and practices around the country. He’ll go to Duke and North Carolina. He’ll go to the McDonald’s All-American Game and the NCAA Tournament.

Every day, he said, he still learns something new. And he brings everything he learns home to Bowen.

He gets an up-close look at how elite college coaches such as Villanova's Jay Wright, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and North Carolina's Roy Williams develop talent.

"I get a chance to be around a lot of really, really good coaches and watching their practices," Michael Born said. 

"The foundational pieces (I learn) are to play hard, play smart, play together — where you're just constantly thinking about the big picture. It’s just about trying to play the right away. And I tell Bowen a lot: Make aggressive plays, but make good basketball plays. It’s never about, ‘Hey, you need to shoot it’ or ‘Hey you need to pass it.’ It’s about being aggressive to make a good basketball play. Six times in a row, the play may be for you to shoot it. And six times in a row, the play may be for you to pass it."

Again, it all seems to work: Born is averaging 19.4 points, two assists and two steals per game. He’s a big reason why Norwalk will enter substate as one of the clear-cut Class 3A state title favorites.

His early success has also translated to a presence on the recruiting trail. Born rolled out attention-grabbing performances last summer with the Iowa Barnstormers, the state’s best boys’ AAU program, and he expects the same from himself with the 16U team this summer.

He’s already on the map with early interest from Iowa, Iowa State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northern Iowa and Drake. He will receive plenty of phone calls on June 15, when college coaches can begin directly contacting 2020 prospects.

The only concern at this point is Born's height. He's 5-11 right now. He — and college coaches — are hoping he grows a couple more inches.

There's reason to believe he's got some room to grow. Michael Born entered high school 4-11 ("I was the shortest kid at Valley," he joked) and sprouted 13 inches to become the 6-2 prospect Iowa State recruited.

"Hopefully I’ll get a few of those inches in my growth spurt," Bowen Born said, smiling.

Dad isn't too worried, though.

"It’ll be what it is," Michael said. "If (he doesn't grow), then he’s just got to keep doing the best that he can and keep playing and competing and getting stronger. If you look at him, he looks like a sophomore in a lot of ways. That’s because that’s what he is. Again, it’s just controlling the things he can control — we work a lot on ball-handling and shooting. Those are things he can control and help his team win."

Matthew Bain covers college football and basketball recruiting for the Des Moines Register. He also helps out with Iowa and Iowa State football and basketball coverage for HawkCentral and Cyclone Insider. Contact him at mbain@dmreg.com and follow him on Twitter @MatthewBain_.