Bowers gone but won't be forgotten

By By Tony Krausz / assistant sports editor
March 22, 2004
ORLANDO, Fla. Xavier's Lionel Chalmers and Mississippi State University's Timmy Bowers engaged in a battle that has become all too rare in college basketball a showdown between senior guards.
With more and more players leaving early or skipping college altogether, seniors have become an endangered species on collegiate teams.
So it was a rare treat for those watching the Bulldogs' second-round NCAA tournament matchup with the Musketeers on Sunday as the two guards went toe-to-toe for a shot at the Sweet 16.
The pair of seniors didn't disappoint, and unfortunately, one of their careers had to come to an end at the TD Waterhouse Centre.
Chalmers scored a career- and game-high 31 points to lift Xavier past MSU 89-74, hitting 4-of-4 shots from three-point range.
Bowers scored 15 points and dished out five assists as he tried to keep the Bulldogs' magical season alive against the hot Musketeers.
MSU's 6-foot-2 guard may not have gotten the trip to the finals he wanted in his last season with the Bulldogs, but he has left a lasting impression during his four-year career with the program, especially in his final season.
The senior slid easily into his new role of point guard, taking over the role from the departed Derrick Zimmerman, who graduated as MSU's all-time assist leader with 514.
Bowers dished out 131 assists this season, a 4.7 per-game clip. Last season, he handed out 94 assists as a shooting guard.
The Gulfport native also upped his points per game average from 14.6 to 15.3.
Bowers' performance for the No. 8-ranked Bulldogs did not go unnoticed. He is a finalist for the Bob Cousey Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award. Both the Associated Press and coaches named him to the All-Southeastern Conference first team.
CollegeInsiders.com picked him as the SEC Most Valuable Player and named him an All-American.
Bowers was also named the SEC Player of the Week in the final week of the regular season for his performance in the Bulldogs' overtime win against Alabama on March 6.
He departs as the school's all-time winningest player with 92 victories. He was part of four teams that played in the postseason, going to the NIT as a freshman and the NCAA tournament the last three years.
Bowers helped lead MSU to its first outright SEC regular-season championship since 1963, and he has been a part of teams that won the Western Division crown and the SEC Tournament.
Bowers' departure will leave a big hole in MSU's lineup next season.
Gary Ervin will most likely take over the point guard position, having averaged 18.9 minutes as a reserve in his freshman season.
But can anybody take the place of Bowers, who has embodied the maroon-and-white spirit for the last four years?
Bowers said he believes he is leaving the Bulldogs in a good position to carry on the success he enjoyed during his time at MSU.
It will take time to see if Bowers' prediction for the future of the program will come true, but one thing is certain it will be a long time before anybody at MSU forgets the name Timmy Bowers.