Ex-Louisville commit Bowen headed to South Carolina, seeks reinstatement

Brian Bowen - the former Louisville commit who became a central figure in the school's ongoing corruption scandal - has been admitted to South Carolina and will seek reinstatement to play college basketball next season, reports ESPN's Jeff Goodman.

"I'm really excited to get an opportunity like this with a terrific coach like Frank Martin and a program like South Carolina," Bowen said.

The Gamecocks do not currently have any commitments for their 2018 class. Even after missing the entire 2017-18 college season, Bowen would still rank as the school's biggest get since five-star point guard P.J. Dozier in 2015.

Of course, Bowen isn't without off-court baggage. While a five-star high school recruit, Bowen bucked the expectations of analysts with a surprise commitment to then-coach Rick Pitino's program. It was later revealed through an official complaint from the U.S. Department of Justice that the program had allegedly helped to funnel funds to Bowen's father from various stakeholders - including an executive at sportswear giant Adidas - in order to secure his son's future professional considerations and commitment to Louisville.

For his part, Bowen has claimed complete ignorance of the backroom dealings, and was cleared by the FBI in its corruption investigation. Still, after Bowen was indefinitely suspended from the program, the writing was on the wall that the former McDonald's All-American would never lace up his sneakers for the Cardinals.

Since the scandal broke, both Hall of Fame coach Pitino and then-athletic director Tom Jurich were relieved of their duties.