KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — To Jordan Bowden, it seems like he was just a young player sitting in the stands at Thompson-Boling Arena.
“Sometimes when I look around and come out of the tunnel, it’s like wow, I’m really here and it’s an amazing feeling,” said Jordan Bowden. "I’ve always dreamed about this moment.”
Bowden caught Tennessee’s eye as a star player at Carter High.
“Just watching Chris Lofton on the court. He was one of my favorite players growing up and coming to the games with my mom was everything!”
He followed Chris Lofton’s lead to Tennessee and continues to impress his hometown crowd on Rocky Top.
“My mom is at every home game. She’s my biggest supporter, also my Grandmother," said Bowden. "Before every game, my mom tells me to play hard and smart.”
And pregame is always the same for Bowden. He starts home game days with breakfast at First Watch.
“The trifecta. It’s a waffle and bacon,” described Bowden. “It usually comes with eggs, but I’m allergic to eggs so I get potatoes instead.”
He listens to music, a mix of worship songs as well as rap and R& B. Bowden also gets a haircut.
“Sometimes, I have the twists, but I take them out before the games though so it can be curly,” said Bowden about his hairstyle.
As Tennessee’s 6th man, Bowden brings a spark off the bench.
“Just doing everything I can to help my team out,” said Bowden modestly about his performance. “Offensively and defensively, I’m just trying to do everything I can to help my team win."
On the court, he’s known for his dunks. He scored his favorite on an in-state rival.
“My favorite is the Vanderbilt dunk, the inbounds play with me and Jordan Bone,” described Bowden. “Coach actually set it up in a timeout and me and Bone made eye contact before the play happened. He threw it up to me and I went to get it. It was a pretty cool moment though, especially at Vandy.
Off the court, it’s Bowden’s dance moves blowing up social media.
“The dancing is just one thing I try to do to bring energy and fun to the team," Bowden said.
And, even Coach Barnes approves Bowden's dance breaks.
“Coach Barnes put me on the spot the last game. He told the team to just enjoy winning. Then, he said, ‘Bowden, could you come up here and do something funny?' And, they turned on the music and I just danced for everybody."
His career ambitions include an even bigger stage.
“Actor,” said Bowden about his dream job. “I feel like I’d be a pretty good actor.”
And, Hollywood couldn’t script Tennessee’s season any better.
“I know, we gotta keep it up!’
So, how does it end?
“You’ll find out. Can’t give it to you right now. We got something coming,” said Bowden with a smile.