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More recruiting news today out of the Portal, and in many ways, it\u2019s as exciting as the signing of Noah Williamson, as the Crimson Tide nabbed 6\u201910\u201d Taylor Bol Bowen. The former ESPN Top 100 arrives at the Capstone via <\/em>Florida State, and adds significant firepower at the power forward position. <\/p>\n His athleticism is off the chart, with significant ups for a big man. He can and does put the ball on the floor. He can create his own shot off the dribble, as well as finish near the basket. He\u2019s a capable defender, scraps for loose balls on contested plays, and is a pretty good rebounder. Despite coming in at just 195 pounds, Bol Bowen showed that he can finish through contact, and was willing to go to the basket against far more imposing bigs, and as be physical in the screen game. Last year, he averaged 8.0\/5.2 a night, shooting about 48% from the floor. <\/p>\n There are two things in particular to love about Taylor\u2019s game that I would draw to your attention. <\/p>\n The first is his development. In every facet of his game, TBB improved from his Freshman to Sophomore seasons. You could tell by the end of the season that he was fully in command of his stroke. The big man shot a lethal 41% from the perimeter, and upped his free throw shooting to 78% on the year. He will be given the green light to let \u2018er rip as a legitimate shooting threat. When you couple that with his ability to get the hole off the dribble, he becomes a very dangerous player to guard. <\/p>\n The second thing to love is his pedigree, and that won\u2019t show up on the stat sheet: FSU always pushed the floor under now-retired Leonard Hamilton. So, for Bol Bowen to earn his 25 minutes a night, he had to be able to run to earn a spot in that starting lineup, and run he did; not only that, it was not uncommon to see TBB lead the breakout and bring the ball up the floor. For such a large man, he has excellent ball handling skills. He did so carefully too, averaging just 1.4 TOs a night, far better on a per\/40 basis than Alabama\u2019s now-departing front court seniors. <\/p>\n