Get to Know Ryan Bowen

Today, get to know….
Nuggets forward Ryan Bowen

After four years of college playing for his home state’s Iowa Hawkeyes, Bowen was drafted by the Nuggets in the second round of the 1998 NBA Draft but played professionally in Turkey for the 1998-99 season before coming to Denver for the ’99-2000 season. Entering his fourth NBA season, Ryan Bowen has quickly developed into a real Denver fan-favorite. As a free agent this summer, Bowen showed his commitment to the team and community by foregoing the opportunity to play elsewhere by re-signing with the team on the first day allowed by NBA rules. The 6-9, 220-pound forward is known for his all-out hustle and strong work ethic.

JG: “Growing up in Iowa, was there an NBA team you rooted for as a kid?”
BOWEN: “When the T-Wolves came into expansion, I didn’t really have a favorite team at the time, so I became a Timberwolves fan. I had a sister that lived up there, so she started sending me Minnesota Timberwolves stuff. So I was a fan of them, like in high school. ”
JG: “Did you have a favorite player?”
BOWEN: “Not really one player in particular. I was obviously a big fan of the Magic (Johnson) and Larry (Bird) thing they had going. And when Michael (Jordan) came in, I was a fan of his. So those are probably my favorites.”

JG: “Is there one particular player or team that really like to play against and that gets you a little more fired up?”
BOWEN: “No, not really. It seems like every team has superstars, so you get up to play every time. Every team you play, there’s somebody out there you’re kind of in awe of, so that makes it fun each game. ”

JG: “Who is the toughest player for you to defend? Is there someone that is just always a match-up problem?”
BOWEN: “Obviously a lot of guys. There are so many guys that nobody in the league can guard. So to say I’m better at one guy than the other is tough to say.”
JG: “So there’s not one guy in particular that really gives you fits?”
BOWEN: “There’s not one guy. Tracy McGrady was one guy. Last year, Tracy McGrady was one of the toughest ones to guard. And I also played a lot of the power forward, so I was guarding (Tim) Duncan and (Kevin) Garnett and guys like that, so they were obviously a tough challenge.”

JG: “Do you have any good friends on other teams in the league?”
BOWEN: “Other than Raef (LaFrentz) – you know Raef and I were best friends – other than that…I like to talk to the Iowa guys, Matt Bullard (Rockets) and Ricky Davis (Cavaliers), some of the guys I played with in the Big 10, the other night it was Brad Miller (Pacers, Purdue) and the night before that Brian Cardinal (Wizards, Purdue). I enjoy just seeing them because I played against them in college quite a bit. But really Raef probably would be my best friend in the league.”

JG: “Being a Hawkeye, you are supposed to hate Iowa State. With all of the success the Cyclones are having, do you root for them because they are from your state or against them since they are your rival school?”
BOWEN: “Oh yeah, I root for them. I was recruited by them and got to know the campus pretty well and all that stuff. I can’t say that I ‘hate’ Iowa State, you know when it comes down to Iowa-Iowa State you’ve got to root for Iowa, but for the most part, I’m a fan. I like to see anything good happen in Iowa so I’m definitely rooting for the Hawks – I mean Cyclones, It’s tough to say – over Oklahoma.”

JG: “Who do you think has the best uniforms in the league?”
BOWEN: “The best uniforms? Hmm…I don’t know.”

JG: “What about worst, is there any team with just a bad look?”
BOWEN: “Not really. I don’t think there’s any real bad looks out there. When some of the teams changed – I like how the Pistons, they changed and then they changed back to the old ones. For the most, part everybody seems to have pretty good uniforms.”

JG:“Who has the best arena in the league?”
BOWEN: “Ohh…there’s so many new arenas. Probably a few years ago it would have been easy to say, but now, you like at our arena, the STAPLES Center, Dallas’s arena, they’re all nice, but I would definitely put ours right up there with any of them. I think the Pepsi Center is just as nice any of the facilities I’ve seen.”

JG: “Is there any arena you’d like to see imploded?”
BOWEN: “Oh, not really. You know some people have their grudges on arenas, but I really don’t. Some of them, they could use a new locker room here and there, but for the most part it’s alright to go anywhere.”

JG: “What’s your most memorable game?”
BOWEN: “Last year there were a couple of games – the Seattle game where we were down big and made a big second-half comeback and I had 18 points and 12 rebounds. That’s a big one. I scored a bucket to tie and then made the free throw to win against Portland last year and that was a big game. Getting to play against Michael Jordan was obviously a big game. I don’t think there’s one game that really sticks out. It just seems like every time out there it’s just an unbelievable experience.”

JG: “You played in Turkey after college before making it to the NBA. What was the biggest adjustment or difference as far as basketball over there?”
BOWEN: “The biggest difference over there basketball-wise is just the communication. It’s tough to communicate with your players, your coaches. We had three different countries represented – two coaching staffs that didn’t speak English or didn’t speak Turkish, they only spoke Russian. There was always translation going on. That was probably the toughest part. You know basketball is basketball when you get out there and play. But timeouts and things like, that was tough. And just living over there was a different experience.”

JG: “Which is a bigger thrill, dunking or blocking a shot?”
BOWEN: “I don’t really dunk too much, so I would say that I get a bigger thrill out of stopping somebody defensively rather than scoring on somebody. That’s just my mentality.”

JG: “What is the toughest place to play?”
BOWEN: “Probably Sacramento. The fans are so loud and so close. Probably Sacramento would be the toughest.”

JG: “You switched last year from No. 42 to 32 because it was your brother’s number, is that right?”
BOWEN: “No, I wore 42 because of my brother and then Kevin Willis came here and wanted 42 and ended up not even being around so…”

JG: “What’s your favorite movie?”
BOWEN: “I like anything sports related. I’m a big fan of Hoosiers. I’m also a fan of Grease. That was one of my favorites. If it’s ever on TV I have to sit down and watch the whole thing. So those are probably two of my favorites.”

JG: “If they were to make a movie about your life, who would you pick to play you?”
BOWEN: “Who would I pick to play me? I have no idea.”

JG: “You have any pets?”
BOWEN: “I have a dog, a yellow lab. Her name is Bailey.”
JG: “That’s a good name for a dog.”

JG: “Alright, thanks Ryan.”
BOWEN: “Thanks a lot.”

Be sure to check back throughout October for another player on “Get to Know Your Nuggets.” You can e-mail your questions and comments to Jonathan Goldstein at NuggetsPR@hotmail.com.