Student-Athlete Spotlight: Yasir Rowell -Men's Basketball

April 2, 2023

By Scott Huff

It's not the size of the player but the size of the heart that made Yasir Rowell a second team United States Collegiate Athletic Association All-American.

"I know that my heart is bigger than any 6'5" player on the floor," said the diminutive Rowell who stands 5'8". "I might get overlooked by some people because of my size, but I have a high basketball IQ and a love for the game.

"I watched that guard from Kansas State play in the NCAA tournament and tear it up," added Rowell in reference to 5–8-Wildcat point guard Markquis Nowell. "He showed there is room in the game for 5-8 players like me."

Rowell tore it up for the Centurions this season scoring an average of 27.7 points per game – shooting 49% from the field - shooting 70% from the free throw line – and averaging over 5 assists per game.

Rowell also set a BCCC single game scoring record with a sensational 46-point performance against Penn State-Wilkes Barre.

"To be honest, I had no idea that I had scored that many points," said Rowell. "All I wanted to do was try and win the game."

The Centurions lost that one to PSU-Wilkes Barre on December 5th by a 106-87 score – and BCCC lost the next one to Central Penn by a 91-88 score on December 10th.

However, the surging Bucks did not lose a single game the remainder of the season racking up 11 straight victories that culminated in a 109-87 revenge victory over Central Penn on February 25th to capture the Eastern States Athletic Association championship.

"Once we got it going, we just kept on winning," said Rowell. "Everybody on this team - including the coaches - treated everyone the right way. We knew we were a good team."

And the finest player on that championship team was packaged in the body of their terrific 5–8-point guard - Yasir Rowell.

What BCCC head coach Farrad McLaughlin says…

"There is no question that Yasir is a scholarship player," said McLaughlin. "He can play right now on a NAIA or Division II level. He can run the show on offense, and he can guard anyone on defense.

"Playing at Bucks is all part of the process," added McLaughlin. "Yasir has the athletic ability to compete at a higher level, but he is going to have to be a desirable person in the classroom as well.

"Yasir is a freshman, and we will see if he comes back to Bucks next year," continued McLaughlin. "There are opportunities out there for him, and we will wait and see what happens."