Basketball standout Rowan finds Florida suits his talents

Maverick Rowan celebrated another 30-point effort Sunday by fishing on Pompano Beach, where he caught a 15-pound mutton snapper.

Life in Florida isn't always a day at the beach, however, for the former Lincoln Park basketball star.

“Sometimes, it's good,” Rowan said. “Sometimes, it's bad — like when my dad says, ‘Let's go work out on the beach.' He watches stuff online and makes me do workouts in the sand to improve my quickness and explosiveness.”

The 6-foot-7, 200-pound junior shooting guard has added 15 pounds since last season and is stronger.

Mostly, Rowan is thriving since moving to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where he is starring for Class 5A No. 1 Cardinal Gibbons.

“It's like Christmas in July,” Rowan said. “Besides the warm weather, it's a great environment. The school is incredible. I love the school. There's quality people down here. Nothing against Pittsburgh, but it's different down here. There's so many different athletes down here, and they all want to be good. The weather allows you to do whatever you do.”

For Rowan, that's scoring points in bunches. After averaging 26.3 points last season and leading Lincoln Park to WPIAL and PIAA Class A championships, Rowan is scoring at an even higher pace against prime competition in Florida.

“What I came down here to do was play against quality competition,” Maverick said. “Everybody down here is stronger and quicker than up north. It's preparing me for college. It's like AAU. I hate playing against competition that's not that great. I enjoy the challenges.

“I wasn't expecting to come out and play bad after all the work I've been putting into my game. But to come down here and win a good tournament, it's great to come down here and play like I've been playing.”

Monday marked his fourth consecutive game with 30-plus points as he was named MVP of the Kreul Classic. He had 35 against Mariner and Columbia recruit Rodney Hunter in the City of Palms Tournament, 30 against Pines Charter and Marquette recruit Haanif Cheatham and 32 against Sagemont and UCLA recruit Prince Ali, with Louisville coach Rick Pitino watching.

“He's playing well and against good competition, too,” said Ron Rowan, Maverick's father, a former Beaver Falls, Notre Dame and St. John's star who played overseas for more than a decade.

“There's a lot of athletes, a lot of competition. I think it's been good, going against guys like he's going to see in college.”

Maverick Rowan made a verbal commitment to Pitt as a sophomore but reopened his recruitment soon after transferring.

Ron Rowan said his son has scholarship offers from 11 schools ranked in the top 25, including Louisville, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, N.C. State and Oklahoma.

Maverick Rowan hasn't ruled out that he could ultimately end up playing for the Panthers.

“It's still a big possibility,” Maverick said. “I love Pitt. I love my hometown. Right now, I just opened it up to experience the full recruiting process. I hadn't because I committed so early.

“I still haven't made my mind up where I'm going to go to college. I don't have any favorites yet.”

Kevin Gorman is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at kgorman@tribweb.com or via Twitter @KGorman_Trib.