FSU basketball: 2023 blue-chip PF Taylor Bowen commits to Noles

FSU basketball didn’t have any 2023 commits going into Saturday, but that changed when blue-chip power forward Taylor Bowen announced his commitment to the Noles.

Bowen chose between FSU, Duke, LSU, Iowa, Providence, and Vermont. He ranks as the No. 31 player and No. 7 power forward nationally.

He plays at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire and stands 6’9″ and 195 pounds.

Bowen announced his decision on CBSPorts HQ Live Saturday afternoon.

Thoughts and Impact

The first piece in the 2023 recruiting cycle is the highest-ranked recruit since Matthew Cleveland signed with the Noles in 2021. It signals Leonard Hamilton and staff still get top-tier players, although there has been some staff turnover in recent years.

The first addition already places FSU basketball inside the top 20 nationally at No. 17.

The track record of developing bigs that have gotten drafted recently had to be an important part of his recruitment, considering Bowen wants to be the first player from Vermont to play in the NBA.

Bowen is a stretch-four power forward that looks to most of his damage from the perimeter, similar to recent bigs like John Butler.

He has incredible length and the ability to take guys off the dribble. I also think he’d be effective in pick and rolls and can run the court well.

He’s still raw and needs to develop on the defensive end and as a rebounder, similar to John Butler, who went undrafted recently after one year at FSU.

FSU returns some experience from last year’s squad, with two key additions from the transfer portal and some talented freshmen. It’ll be interesting to see who else joins Bowen in the 2023 recruiting cycle, but this is an excellent start for Leonard Hamilton.

Welcome to Nolenation, Taylor Bowen!