Tyus Bowser has gone from the gridiron to the hardwood floor and back to the field for 15 spring practices, and he hasn’t even been at UH for a year yet.
Bowser, a two-sport athlete who made a big impact on the defensive line for the football team and as a reserve forward for the basketball squad, said his first season was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Bowser became part of a defensive rotation that brought havoc to the opposing quarterbacks. He had his breakout game against Rice in the Bayou Bucket. Bowser finished with seven tackles, two sacks, one interception for a return of six yards and four quarterback hurries. Bowser ended the season with 26 total tackles, four and a half sacks and one interception.
Bowser joined the basketball team late after the conference season began. He played in three games.
“Overall I would say that I did good as a freshman,” Bowser said. “Coming out of high school and coming to a Division One school and playing against great teams, I wasn’t expecting to come in like I did. I wanted to come out and contribute to the team to win games.”
Bowser believes playing football is simple in that a player just has to be focused and disciplined every day.
“You really just have to go out there and play,” Bowser said. “You have to remember your job on the field and what you have to do to help your team out. It’s all about having fun. Once you have fun out there, the plays will come.”
Head coach Tony Levine said he isn’t surprised that Bowser was able to contribute during his freshman year.
“Tyus is unique and intelligent. We were able to put him at the rush position, and he improved on a daily basis,” Levine said. “With his explosion and with the athleticism that we saw during two a day, it wasn’t a surprise to us that he played and had a significant role.”
While Bowser was on the basketball team, he learned from the players and coaching staff what it’s going to take to play college basketball at the highest level.
“You just have to work hard,” Bowser said. “Being dedicated every single day, and you have to work on your game as well as what the team wants to accomplish.”
With Kelvin Sampson coming in as the new head basketball coach, Bowser will have to adjust to another system. However, he said he was impressed with Sampson.
“He is a really good man,” Bowser said. “He wants to get to know us so that we can build chemistry with him and as a team.”
While playing both sports, Bowser still treats both sports equally but favors playing football more. Bowser has his eye on a professional career in either sport with one goal in mind.
“I would go professional in whichever sport is able to give me money. My mother has worked hard to help me with my life, and I want to make sure that she doesn’t have to work hard anymore.”
However, for Bowser, one of his biggest transitions was in the classroom.
“Sometimes when you’re the guy in high school, you can get away with a couple of assignments off. Coming into college, I knew that I have to work hard,” Bowser said. “You have so many classes that you have to worry about. Whether you have a project or a paper due, you always have to stay on top of your studies. I have learned a lot and I plan to do better in the future.”
Whether he’s on the football field, in the classroom or on the basketball court, Bowser has Levine’s support.
“We encourage it. If that is something that they dream of and aspire to do, we will do in all of our power to help them succeed,” Levine said.
