Bowie to leave Red Raiders

NOW Newspapers All-Suburban and All-Greater Metro Conference player Darrell Bowie won't be spending his senior season at Wauwatosa East High School.

Instead, Bowie will be attending La Jolla Country Day School, a premier for ages 3 through grade 12 educational institution in San Diego.

Tosa East boys basketball coach Tim Arndorfer officially found out when he received a phone call from Mark Miller of Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook.

"I'm not surprised," Arndorfer said about Bowie. "He never showed up at our end of the season meetings and he hasn't been part of our summer program."

Christopher Schuck, Head of School, provides the following description of LJCDS on their web site.

"(It's a school) that enjoys more than 80 years of dedication to students and families. Country Day is passionate about providing the best college preparatory education possible for our students - one that shapes them into creative thinkers and responsible young citizens. We achieve this through a rigorous academic program, a nurturing environment, multi-layered global engagement and a commitment to good character."

I heard the tuition is between the $25,000-$28,000 range.

I thought I would look up some basketball information since Bowie, who is around a 3.0 student I was told, might be interested in playing that sport there.

The Torreys (team nickname) mission is as follows.

"To develop each player's skills and athletic abilities along with giving them the opportunity to build upon their own personal attitudes towards the game and life. They will learn about roles and responsibilities within the context of 'Team.' They will share in success that comes from hard work, discipline, loyalty and a determined heart."

They were 5-5 in league play and 16-12 overall and ranked 245th in the state.

Bowie will help this team. He is a pretty good basketball player who averaged 13 points and eight rebounds a game and did most of his damage from the inside.

That was probably one of the reasons why he is no longer a Red Raider.

On his AAU team, the 6-foot-6 inch Bowie plays a wing. He gets to shoot jump shots from the perimeter. He faces the basket and doesn't have to play with his back to the basket most of the time.

If Bowie is going to play at the next level, it is not going to be as an inside player. That is where the Red Raiders needed him to play if the team was going to be successful. Obviously, he will have the opportunity to do that for the Torreys.

I had the opportunity to interview him a few times the past two years and to his credit he always seemed to say the right things about leadership and teamwork.

Arndorfer admits that Bowie is a big loss, but like most good coaches he is focusing on who he has on his current roster.

"We wish him all the best," he said. "We will work with the guys we have here."