COLLEGE PARK - John Bowie seems to know everybody. Like a politician greeting constituents, he sits outside Comcast Center on a sunny day exchanging pleasantries with passersby.
"JB, what's up?" he says to Maryland forward Jerome Burney jogging by. Moments later, he hops up and hugs Byron Mouton, a member of Maryland's 2002 national championship team who retains ties with the program.
Bowie, 55, is the father of Adrian Bowie, the Terrapins' sophomore guard. He is also a Maryland fixture. Once a ballboy at Cole Field House when Lefty Driesell was coach, Bowie has been a Maryland equipment manager for more than 20 years.
His memories provide a link between today's players and the school's basketball past.
"I knew [John] Lucas, [Len] Elmore, [Tom] McMillen - all those guys were good to me," said Bowie, who grew up in Prince George's County and starred at Bowie State. "Basketball is a way of life for me. I'm an equipment manager, I'm a fan, I'm a dad."
These days, he's an especially proud dad. Adrian, a 6-foot-2 guard, has started the past 16 games and is one of three Terps averaging in double figures at 10.4 points.
"That was my dream. That was my wife's dream," the elder Bowie said of his son's playing for Maryland.
Adrian played in high school with fellow Terrapin Greivis Vasquez at Montrose Christian. He was ranked among the nation's top 30 shooting guards by Rivals.com and Scout.com. When it came time to select a college, his father said he didn't want to push.
"We visited Virginia, we talked about UConn, Florida, Florida State, GW. It was Adrian's decision. We said, 'This is your four years,' " John Bowie said.
Not surprisingly, Adrian chose Maryland. He had been a ballboy for the team as his father had and was steeped in all things Terrapins.
"As a ballboy, Adrian used to challenge anybody who came through the tunnel to play, and then he'd rebound for them," the father said.
Growing up surrounded by the game aided his confidence. Adrian Bowie is not showy, but he is rarely hampered by self-doubt.
"I know not many people can stay in front of me. At any time, I can go by anybody," Adrian said.
The speedy Bowie averaged 3.7 points as a freshman but occasionally struggled with turnovers.
"I looked at a lot of film on my turnovers, and I worked on my ball-handling all summer," he said. "I worked on trying to keep my head up because I had a problem last year with keeping my head down and not seeing open people."
