Brian Bowen getting full-court press from Arizona Wildcats, top recruiter DeAndre Ayton

CHICAGO — Already a two-time visitor to Tucson, five-star forward Brian Bowen has watched his McDonald’s All American experience get hijacked into another Arizona recruiting visit of sorts.

That’s because his roommate this week is DeAndre Ayton.

“I’m recruiting him all the way,” said Ayton, the highest rated of UA’s four recruits so far in the class of 2017. “I’m bugging him all the time. He still hasn’t decided and given me any edge on what he’s doing. But he’s getting an earful from me every day.”

Ayton, who says he’s also hounding five-star point guard Trevon Duval of Delaware and fellow big man Brandon McCoy of San Diego, says he’s not sure how many players UA will lose early this spring.

That’s a big problem for Bowen, too.

The five-star, 6-foot-7-inch wing from Michigan says he’s postponing his decision until rosters shake out over the next few weeks, while he still considers Arizona, Creighton, Michigan State and, to a lesser extent, Texas and N.C. State.

The Wildcats are expected to lose forward Lauri Markkanen and guard Kobi Simmons to pro basketball, while wings Allonzo Trier and Rawle Alkins appear to be considering whether to stay or not.

“That’s really the thing I’m waiting on,” Bowen said Tuesday during media interviews in advance of Wednesday’s McDonald’s All-American Game. “I’m not really sure what’s going to happen, not just with them but with all my schools. It’s tough.”

Provided there’s the kind of room he is looking for at Arizona, Bowen may be already sold on the rest of the UA program. He’s visited twice, even paying his own way to take in the Feb. 25 Arizona-UCLA game on an unofficial visit.

“Coach (Sean) Miller is a great guy and (so is) the staff,” Bowen said. “I had a great visit when I was there and … the amount of wing guys they have going to the NBA is really a big thing for me. I want to go to the NBA. I really enjoyed their recruitment of me as well and they’re really pushing the guys that they’ve had committed to just win national championships.”

Bowen said Creighton coach Greg McDermott has talked to him about “being a big-time scorer surrounded by shooters,” while Michigan State has long been chasing its local prospect (so long, in fact, that doubts have arisen about Bowen’s interest in the Spartans).

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Bowen is from Saginaw, Michigan, though he opted to play for Indiana’s La Lumiere School this season.

MSU coach Tom Izzo “keeps pushing the home factor and everything,” Bowen said. “That’s big time because I love my state. It’s really just me taking my time and when I feel 100 percent about a school is the time I’m gonna make my decision.”

Bowen is hardly the only five-star talent who hasn’t settled on a school yet. Six of the 24 McDonald’s All-Americans are undecided, and half of those are still considering Arizona.

While Duval was unavailable for comment during Tuesday’s media interview session — a staffer said he wasn’t feeling well — McCoy said he’s considering Arizona because he enjoyed playing with Ayton on the California Supreme travel team last summer.

The two big men, both transplanted San Diegans earlier in their high school careers, were even named co-MVPs of the EYBL Indianapolis event last April.

“He was playing up top (in the post) and I’d be playing down low, but there’d be times I’d be high and I’d hit him down low,” McCoy said. “It was so fun. That was probably the funnest summer I ever had.”

However, Arizona is considered a long shot for McCoy because of the returners the Wildcats have in the post, assuming both Dusan Ristic and Chance Comanche are back to team with Ayton.

A native of Chicago who says he’s also interested in a return to the Midwest, McCoy is also considering Michigan State, Oregon, UNLV and San Diego State.

The Wildcats may have a better shot at Duval, who has potential to take over point guard while playing with Parker Jackson-Cartwright and signee Alex Barcello, while Bowen’s potential role at Arizona is difficult to envision until the NBA smoke clears.

So it may be a while yet.

“I was thinking about committing a while ago, months ago, and I just thought I’ll take my time,” Bowen said. “It’s a big decision, with guys staying and leaving, just a lot of things.”