After four years of hard work and perseverance on the court, graduate student guard Denai Bowman is gearing up for her fifth and final season at Binghamton. During her last year as a college athlete, Bowman says she aspires to savor every moment with her team in her final year.

“This is my last year of eligibility to play a college sport,” Bowman said. “[I look forward to] just making memories with my teammates and my coaches, and just playing and giving all I got.”

Bowman, a 5-foot-9-inch guard hailing from Clinton, Maryland, used to view basketball in a non-competitive manner. However, her mindset about the sport changed once she reached middle school.

“Originally in middle school, my best friend had just asked me to try out [for the team], so that’s how I started really getting involved,” Bowman said. “Before that, I would always play for fun but never seriously.”

During her freshman year at Binghamton, she appeared in 31 games, starting in five of them. Then, in her sophomore year, the departure of several upperclassmen from the team set Bowman up to take up a more prominent role on the court for the Bearcats.

“I feel like my sophomore year was a time to really step up because we lost a lot of seniors that year and valuable players,” Bowman said. “Once they left, I knew I needed to step up, so that’s what I eventually did and here we are.”

She went on to appear and start in all 16 games that season. She also led the Bearcats in scoring a team-best eight times. One of the paramount highlights of her college career was the Bearcats’ matchup against UMass, where Bowman scored 27 points.

“That game I felt something different like something just went off in me and I couldn’t control it,” Bowman said. “It went off, so I went off, and it was just a great experience. My teammates cheered me on through the process and my family was able to watch it in person. It was just the highlight of my college experience.”

Bowman’s success on the court continued in her junior year when she started in all 29 games and secured first-team all-conference honors for the second year in a row. Then last season, she was chosen once more for the AE all-defensive team, earning a three-peat selection. Her tenacious attitude toward the progression of her craft stems from her admiration for basketball.

“I think I love the process of just getting better and knowing from where I started to now, where I am and just enjoying that process and trying to get better each and every year,” Bowman said.

Additionally, last season, Bowman ranked fifth in the conference in scoring with an average of 13 points per game and ranked eighth in field goal percentage, shooting 46.3 percent from the field, in the AE conference. Bowman has been focusing on sharpening her offensive and defensive skills in preparation for the start of the new year.

“I think I bring a lot of skill defensively, knowing when to read gaps and just using my knowledge on the defensive end to help my team,” Bowman said. “Of course offensively just scoring the ball and having the knowledge that I do of the game to share with my teammates.”

Bowman is eager to see what her new team dynamic is capable of achieving this season.

“I think our group is kind of different,” Bowman said. “We have a lot of different players who can do a lot of different things, so I’m excited to see what they can do on the court compared to last year.”

After wrapping up her time as a Bearcat, Bowman aspires to eventually take her talents abroad after the end of her career at Binghamton. Ultimately, in anticipation of the new season, Bowman believes that her team will accomplish great things this year.

“I plan to play overseas as long as my body will let me,” Bowman said. “I look forward to what we have to bring because it will be very exciting, so I hope to see you guys there.”