Over the course of its season, men’s basketball’s starting lineup has gone through a number of changes.

Its latest change was when freshman wing Darrell Bowie was inserted into the starting lineup. The decision was made by coach Mark Montgomery before the game against Washington back on Dec. 22.

“I’ve been working hard in practice, coming in and having a nice focus about myself, listening to the coaches, staying confident and trusting my teammates,” Bowie said.

Since becoming a starter, Bowie proved he can be a reliable scoring option for the Huskies. In his last four games, Bowie has averaged 9.5 points per game, scoring in double digits twice.

“He’s been a double figures guy and hopefully we can keep him there the rest of the year,” Montgomery said. “We’re preaching consistency with all our young guys, and it’s good that he has done it over the last four games, that he can show you he can get to double figures and still play very good defense.”

In each game as a starter, Bowie has set a new career-high in points. In his most recent game against Akron, Bowie scored a team and career-high 13 points.

“It feels good, especially being a starter as a freshman,” Bowie said. “I think that’s a really good thing, coming in, moving from high school to college, it’s a major difference, but I believe in myself and trust my teammates.”

While Montgomery likes Bowie’s ability to score, he believes Bowie’s best trait on the court is his knowledge and understanding of the game.

“He has a good basketball IQ,” Montgomery said. “He knows when to pass, when to shoot, when to drive. He hasn’t perfected one thing yet, but he has a good feel and understanding; you know, he’s one of those jack-of-all-trade guys. He gives you a little bit of everything.”

Over the past two seasons, Montgomery has been preaching the need to have multiple players scoring in double figures each game. Bowie looks like he will be the man to step in and fill that void and try to earn the Huskies some more wins in the process.