Probe figure ‘stronger now’

Because of his talent — and a floppy bleach blond top to his hair — Brian Bowen tends to stand out on the court.

But since Sept. 26, he’s been the center of attention for an entirely different reason: Bowen was alleged to have been the subject of a $100,000 payment from Adidas via Louisville to get him to play for the Cardinals.

“To this day, people still give me that side eye a little bit,” Bowen said. “It’s just taught me to stay strong. I’m stronger now than I’ve ever been as a person. … I just always want to have a positive attitude.”

Louisville ruled Bowen ineligible and he has since transferred to South Carolina. While he’s waiting to hear if he can be cleared for next season, Bowen is testing the NBA draft waters.

Having taken several recruiting trips to Tucson, Bowen said he considered Arizona up until a few days before he committed to Louisville in June 2017. Bowen said he had “no clue” about a report that said UA was also involved in a pay-for-play scheme.

Suns GM calls Ayton ‘phenomenal’

Suns general manager Ryan McDonough says he isn’t sure who the team will take with its No. 1 NBA draft pick, saying the team is also considering players such as Luka Doncic, Mohamed Bamba and Marvin Bagley.

But there’s no doubt the Bahamian 7-footer playing just down I-10 caught his attention last season.

“The story with Ayton is that he’s just a phenomenal physical specimen,” McDonough said. “He has everything you look for physically in terms of size, strength, length, and athleticism.

“He was tremendously productive this year at the University of Arizona. He rebounds at a high level. Can stroke for a young big, not only can he score at the rim but he can make shots away from the basket. For his size, he moves his feet pretty well on the perimeter, so there really aren’t a whole lot of holes.”

Growing boy

Just five months away from turning 21, Rawle Alkins says he’s still growing.

He gained proof this week in the NBA combine official measurements.

Alkins was listed at 6 feet, 2.5 inches without shoes (6-3.75 with them) at last season’s combine, but came in at 6-2.75 without shoes and 6-4.25 with shoes this season.

Alkins also dropped his body fat from 11 to just 8.9 percent.

UA teammate Allonzo Trier, meanwhile, measured 6-3.75 without shoes and 6-5.25 with them. Both Trier and Alkins were listed at 6-5 last season by Arizona, which typically uses measurements with shoes.

In wingspan measurements, Alkins was in the middle of the guards with a 6-8.75 measurement, while Trier recorded a 6-6.75.

Misnomer

Among the four combine participants tied for the smallest hand measurement at 8.0 inches was … Jaylen Hands of UCLA.

Trier’s hands were only slightly larger at 8.25 while Alkins measured at 8.5 inches.

Struggling on the court

While Alkins shot just 1 for 8 from the field in his first game Thursday, Trier had six points and one assist but five turnovers.

Playing on a team that also included Hands, Syracuse’s Tyus Battle and North Carolina’s Theo Pinson, Trier said it took time to acclimate to everyone’s game.

“You’re playing with a bunch of guys you’ve never played with before and you’re trying to work with guys on the basketball court that don’t have any chemistry and playing with just random guys,” Trier said. “That’s probably the toughest thing about it.”

The big number

7-10

The feet and inches of the NBA combine record-setting wingspan of Mohamed Bamba, a high school teammate of UA’s Brandon Randolph who played at Texas last season.

Quotable

“Tuesday night was great. We celebrated some and went out and got some steaks. But I woke up early Wednesday morning — I was hoping to sleep in a little bit — and it kind of dawned on me, like, ‘Now, we’ve just got to pick the right guy.’”

— Suns general manager Ryan McDonough, on gaining the franchise’s first No. 1 pick in Tuesday night’s lottery.