Ira Bowman
Ira Bowman | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 11, 1973 Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Basketball player, coach |
| Years active | 1996–2002 (player), 2008–present (coach) |
| Known for | Playing in NBA and CBA; assistant coach at Auburn University |
Ira Bowman (born June 11, 1973) is a former American professional basketball athlete who currently serves as an assistant coach for the men's basketball team at Auburn University.
Bowman played collegiate basketball at both Providence College and the University of Pennsylvania, though he was not selected in the NBA draft. His NBA career included stints with the Philadelphia 76ers and Atlanta Hawks from 1999 through 2001. Between 1996 and 2001, he was a key player for the Connecticut Pride in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), where he earned spots on the CBA All-Defensive Team in consecutive years, 1999 and 2000. In 2002, Bowman competed with the Grand Rapids Hoops, and in 1996, he appeared in 13 games for Australia's National Basketball League (NBL) team, the Gold Coast Rollers.
During his high school career at Seton Hall Preparatory School in West Orange, New Jersey, Bowman led his squad to an impressive 31–1 record as a senior and became the institution's leading scorer in history. While at the University of Pennsylvania, he earned the distinction of being named the Ivy League Men's Basketball Player of the Year for the 1995–1996 season.
Coaching career
Originally from Newark, Bowman worked as an assistant coach at New Jersey Institute of Technology from 2008 until 2012, where he collaborated with head coach Jim Engles to help rebuild the NCAA Division I program of the NJIT Highlanders men's basketball team during a period of transition. In June 2012, he returned to his alma mater, joining the University of Pennsylvania's coaching staff as an assistant. In 2018, Bowman was appointed as an assistant coach by Bruce Pearl, head coach of the Auburn Tigers.