The Final Act: Fowler set to put punctuation mark on dominant men’s basketball career
Through all the accolades and acknowledgement gained during his three seasons, Chris Fowler remains unsatisfied.
Now his senior year has arrived — and with it one last chance to lead the Central Michigan men’s basketball team to the school’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in more than a decade.
CMU’s veteran point guard has earned praise from his teammates and the begrudged respect of opposing defenses during his three years in Mount Pleasant.
“I think about (the end of his CMU career) all the time,” the theatre and interpretation major said. “I try not to, because it makes me sad. I love playing here, I love being here. This place has been important to me and my growth, from being a boy to becoming a man. I came in with a lot of guys that I grew up with and became my brothers. I don’t want to leave them. But I’m excited for this season and I’m excited for the opportunity that it holds.”
This season, Fowler leads the Chippewas into one of the most highly-anticipated seasons the program has had in more than a decade. The Detroit Country Day alumnus has been the centerpiece of fourth-year head coach Keno Davis’ rebuilding effort that fans hope will culminate in a NCAA Tournament berth.
“Sometimes you run out of things to say about Chris,” Davis said. “You know what you are going to get. You are going to get a great talent and an unbelievable person. But you don’t know what you are going to see on the court. He’s going to show you what we need to do to win.”
Like many star athletes, Fowler’s work ethic is what sets him apart from other replaceable players on the court, Davis said.
“When you talk about a player that will do anything it takes to win, Chris is at the top of that list,” Davis said. “The basic premise of Chris has always been there. That’s just what he’s about. He has continued to mature and improve his game in skill set and in leadership style. You’ve always seen it in him, but he has continued to get better in all areas.”
Tireless efforts in preparation have drawn the spotlight to Fowler, who ignores the buzz and keeps his focus on constant improvement and attention to what has landed him in the team’s biggest leadership role.
“In this age when the players get as much publicity as they get, the difference is the ones that are able to stay grounded and understand what are the things besides talent that allow them to get to that mark and be able to do more,” Davis said. “He’s always been driven to do more. It’s nothing we can take credit for, we’ve just put him in the right situations and let the other players improve because they are around him. You’re just fortunate as a coach to have a guy like that.”
Last season was Fowler’s best season yet. CMU’s leading scorer in each of the last two seasons, he was named the Mid-American Conference Player of the Year runner up.
Fowler is the first player in program history to score 1,000 points, dish out 500 assists, grab 250 rebounds and have 150 steals during the course of a career.
Senior John Simons is one of Fowler’s closest personal friends. The two have watched CMU’s team grow from an eight-win bottom feeder to the conference’s preseason leader.
“We came in here together so young. We had to play right away with no experience. It was ready or not, here we go.”
- John Simons, senior forward
Three years later, Fowler and Simons are the most prolific scoring combination in the MAC.
“With the experience we have now, it makes us extremely comfortable when you go out there knowing you’ve been in situations like that,” Simons said. “If a game comes down to the wire, we’ve won games and lost games like that. You are going to mature over the years.”
Drawing contact on the way to the rim has become a trademark of Fowler’s game. This year, he has extra confidence in CMU’s other playmakers.
“We’re going to do a good job of taking what the defense gives us this year. If other teams are pressuring me, we have capable guards of bring the ball up the court and setting up the offense,” Fowler said. “I’ve worked a lot in terms of playing off the ball and studying how I can help without the ball in my hands. And I’m just going to try and do a good job of that.”
Fowler’s teammates say his intensity and intelligence make everyone on the floor more capable of success.
“(This year) he’s as good of a leader as he has ever been,” Simons said. “Guys know they can rely on Chris on and off the court. He would be the guy they would go to about anything. On the court, Chris is just going to be Chris. He’s going to score, pass and do everything everyone knows he can do.”
As the Chippewas begin another quest for a MAC title, and Fowler leaves his final mark on CMU basketball history, effort will be the way he views his own legacy.
“I’m not into the whole watching minutes or cutting minutes thing,” Fowler said. “ I’m young. I’ll play as long as God lets me play and I’m going to play as hard as God lets me play. After that, I’ll be okay with the outcome.”
