Hornets Profile: Video Coordinator John Bowen on Coaching With Care
After three years with the Hornets, video coordinator John Bowen has one philosophy that guides everything he does.
"People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."
That's John Bowen's philosophy. And after three years inside the Charlotte Hornets organization, it's defined how he approaches his career.
This interview has been almost two years in the making. A hello in passing, a few chance run-ins, a couple of cups of coffee along the way. So by the time John and I sat down on the record this July, it wasn't really an interview at all. Rather, it was a continuation of a conversation that had been building since we first shook hands. Which, it turns out, is exactly how Bowen says relationships are supposed to work.
Where It All Started
John (better known as JB) didn't grow up dreaming of basketball. Originally, he was a baseball player, all the way through eighth grade. And he was one of the shorter kids in his class at that. Then came a growth spurt that changed everything.
"I was pretty much shorter than most of the other kids in my class, and then all of a sudden, just hit the growth spurt to where I became one of the tallest kids, and started kind of falling in love with basketball at that time," Bowen said.
He came up watching the players who defined that era - Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Kevin Garnett, among others. In addition, he had a more personal reference point close to home: his cousin, playing college basketball at Georgetown. Between the two, something definitely clicked.
"I thought, hey man, you know, I think I’m starting to like basketball a little more, I want to invest more into AAU and become a better player," he said. "I think I actually have a solid chance at possibly making it somewhere."
John played his first AAU team that same year in eighth grade. By his own admission, it was later than most. "I was a little bit of a later boomer than, you know, some people who really took basketball seriously around ninth grade or so," Bowen said.
The Coach Who Saw It First
The jump from player to coach happened almost by accident. During his senior year at UNCW, in the summer of 2021, Bowen needed an internship to graduate. He went back to his former AAU program, Flight 22, out of Wilmington, where his old coach put him to work in operations. Eventually, he let John step in as an assistant coach.
That's ultimately where it clicked for him. And it was at one of those tournaments where a former college coach pulled him aside.
"He was like, 'Look, hey man, you really coach with some passion. You look like you really love it. You look like you're really good at being able to teach the game and be relational to the guys, man. I think you should really check out possibly being a coach one day. And with your size, with your ability to still be on the floor, I think the NBA would be a great route for you,'" Bowen recalled.
That conversation stuck with him. It was great career advice, but in time, it would also become a model for the kind of coach Bowen wanted to become.
"I want to be able to use basketball as a platform to really help people," Bowen said. "Obviously, one, grow as basketball players, but two, grow as people as well."
A Day In The Life
That’s a respectable and noble approach to having the kind of opportunity John would eventually end up with in Charlotte. Bowen's current role as an assistant video coordinator with the Hornets starts before some people are awake, and doesn't end until close to midnight.
"I’ll get into the office around 7, 7:30 AM, and I’ll start working on a scout game that I may have had before, or I could be working on personnel for an upcoming scout," he said.
From there, the day moves in blocks: mornings on the court running players through workouts and warmups, practice or shootaround, then a short break in the early afternoon. “Usually I'll go get coffee, knock out some extra work on my laptop, or get a nap if I have time."
Then, it’s back on the floor from 4 to 6 PM helping players prepare for that night's game. On game nights, it's clip work and coordination through tip-off, then his own film review after the final buzzer.
"Around 11:30, midnight, I'm going to bed," he said. "It's a long day, man. Gotta be a little crazy to do it, but I love it. Surrounded by basketball every day, and it's awesome."
The Lesson He’ll Carry Anywhere
I asked Bowen what's shaped him most during his time with the Hornets. I thought it was telling that he didn’t hesitate on his answer whatsoever.
"I think it would be the importance of relationship building," he said. "If you can just be a genuine person and build great relationships, you can get people to see your vision and trust in your vision. Because if you think about it, who will trust someone's vision that they don't even know?"
This is a principle JB applies broadly to players, to fellow staff, to front office relationships, to every corner of the job. “Once people get to know who you are, then they begin to care about what you believe," Bowen said. "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."
The People Who Molded JB
Bowen points to two people inside the Hornets organization who shaped how he thinks about the job: Zach Peterson, the team's director of player development, and Norman Richardson, who he worked closely with in his first year.
"He's been a great guy that's really believed in me from the time we've met," Bowen said of Peterson. "He's done a really good job at just investing into me."
Of Richardson: "He was such a great guy who cared about you as a person, not just what you were able to do, but cared about you as a person.”
Both, he said, reinforced the same idea from different angles: invest in people first, and everything else follows. Build and strengthen relationships with those you work with, and they’ll gain greater confidence in themselves as well.
The Proof Is In The Pudding
I also asked Bowen who on the Hornets’ roster might surprise fans when it comes to their approach to the game, their daily process, or who they are off the court. His answer? Tre Mann.
"Tre Mann is just one of the best human beings you could meet," Bowen said. "He's an extremely humble guy. Loves his family, just really treats people with care. He really cares about getting to know people and asking people how their day is, or just having simple great conversation with someone."
He was quick to note Mann's work ethic runs just as deep as his character. "He's in the gym working all the time. He really cares about his game, whether it's working on his scoring ability, his reads, his defense. And he's one of the most competitive people that I've met as well … He is a person that’s just a joy to work with, and an even better person to get to know.”
When asked about the people he's built relationships with inside the organization, Bowen led with the staff most fans never hear about: equipment staff Frank Popieski, Mike West, and Adam Bay; team nutritionist Oluremi Famodu-Jackson; team psychologist Dr. Rachel Webb, and the security staff working behind the scenes, among others.
"There are a lot of people who don't get named behind the scenes that really help the engine of the team go," Bowen said.
What Three Years Taught Him
Beyond relationships, Bowen said the biggest growth over his three years with the Hornets has been learning to prioritize.
"Being able to learn how to compartmentalize and prioritize. What is important for this day? Because I think that's the biggest thing," he said. "If you're going and trying to fix a whole bunch of different things at once, it's going to be hard to really hone in on specific things."
He also credited the organization's structure for shaping how he works.
"Our organization, from the top to the bottom … I believe that we're very on top of things, and we organize things very well," Bowen said. "I think that's something huge that I've learned."
Life On The Road
Bowen's job has taken him to every corner of the country, and a few stops stand out. He's partial to the Dallas and Fort Worth area. "I'm a country boy, grew up in the country, so Dallas kind of fits my vibe of not being too overwhelming but also having that good country feel to it … I actually really love Indiana, Indiana has a great family atmosphere to it, especially going to their games, it has a true community atmosphere to it, that the community cares about them. And there are some pretty slept on places in Indiana in terms of favorite places to go eat at, get coffee at.
“And then obviously LA, Miami, New York, the three big cities are so much fun to go visit. You get to know so many people in those cities, and there’s always something to do in those cities … Simply going to walk around to get your mind off of things. That’s one of my favorite things to do on the road. Go take a walk, clear my mind of things.”
Before wrapping up, Bowen wanted to leave a message for the fan base he's spent three years around.
"I think the biggest thing is just gratitude for how amazing the fan base has been," he said. "They've been with us through thick and thin … This organization is building things the right way. They’re laying the right foundations, taking the process the right way. It's something exciting that Hornets fans can be excited about in the future, and even now."
It’s safe to say that the attitude and approach John Bowen has learned to bring to his everyday routine has helped lay the right kind of foundation for the Hornets at a grassroots level.
People in leadership positions can talk all day about their values, but what gets everyone listening is when the words turn into action, and people feel genuinely valued and supported. That’s the same lesson Bowen learned from the mentors who invested in him early on, and he’s still passing it forward, one relationship at a time.
Will Eudy covers the Charlotte Hornets for The Eudy Report. Follow for credentialed Hornets coverage year-round.
Great article, well written! Gives the reader personal insight into who John Bowen is. Would love to meet him myself!