PHILADELPHIA – Auburn assistant coach Ira Bowman will be inducted into the Philadelphia Big 5 Hall of Fame as announced on Wednesday.
Bowman, who is in his seventh season on head coach Bruce Pearl’s staff, played at Penn during the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons, after transferring from Providence College.
During his first year with the Quakers, Penn went 22-6 overall and 14-0 in Ivy League play enroute to its third-straight Ancient Eight title. Bowman was second-team All-Ivy that season.
As a senior, Bowman was the Ivy League Player of the Year and first-team All-Philadelphia Big 5 as he led the Quakers to a 17-10 record that included a 12-2 mark in Ivy play. Penn tied Princeton that year for the conference title but fell to the Tigers in a one-game playoff to determine the Ivy’s NCAA Tournament bid.
Following his Penn career, Bowman enjoyed a professional playing career that included stints with the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and Atlanta Hawks. He also played overseas, in Italy and Australia as well as in the Continental Basketball Association. Prior to his time on The Plains, Bowman was an assistant coach at his alma mater for six seasons.
Bowman is a member of this year’s induction class along with La Salle’s Dr. John Giannini, Temple’s LaKeisha Eaddy, Saint Joseph’s Amy Facer, Villanova’s Courtney Mix, and Mike Jensen of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The Class of 2024 will be recognized at the Big 5 Classics for both men’s and women’s basketball on Friday, Dec. 6, at Villanova’s Finneran Pavilion and Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Wells Fargo Center.