Dansville, Michigan State star Lindsay Bowen dreamed big and made it big on court

The passion for Lindsay Bowen now centers around giving back to basketball and getting the most out of her players on the court.

It's been that way the last few years for Bowen as she's embarked on a basketball coaching career that's included stints as a women's basketball assistant at Presbyterian College, Florida International and now Campbell University.

But before Bowen became the one evaluating, recruiting and grooming talent, she was one of the best basketball players ever in the Lansing area.

And the former Dansville and Michigan State women's basketball star will be recognized for her success next week when she is formally inducted into the Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame. She is one of 10 individuals and three teams who will be inducted on July 26 at the Lansing Center. 

Bowen ended her career at Dansville in 2001 as the state's Miss Basketball runner-up and as one of the top scorers in Michigan High School Athletic Association history. She followed by becoming one of the top scorers and 3-point shooters in MSU women's basketball history while contributing to the program's rise under coach Joanne P. McCallie.

And Bowen, who ranks fifth in MHSAA history with 2,577 career points and fourth all-time at MSU with 1,739 points and second in program history with 294 made 3s, said her success on the basketball court was something she dreamed about at an early age.

"When i was a little girl, I dreamed of winning championships and taking a program to the next level," Bowen said. "That's what I wanted to do and that's what I was passionate about. Just to kind of have those dreams come true, it was unreal. Those memories I will always have and I always think about them a lot. Those were fun times, fun years. I miss them a lot. 

"I certainly didn't dream of being one of the best players or a top player at MSU. I just wanted to be the best that I could be. Coming from a small town, my parents taught me to work really hard and they taught me the discipline and the respect and all of that growing up."

Bowen's play was instrumental in team success at Dansville and then at MSU, where she helped the Spartans finish as the national runner-up in 2005 and win what is their only Big Ten women's basketball tournament title that year. She followed that success by spending a year in the WNBA with the New York Liberty and then playing overseas before getting into coaching.

"It took a lot of hard work on my end," said Bowen, who also was a high school softball standout at Dansville. "I had supportive parents and supportive coaches. I've been surrounded by some wonderful people growing up and on teams and in different jobs that I had. I'm very fortunate to be where I am and I'm very thankful for the opportunities I've been given and the people that have supported me." 

Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @brian_calloway.

GREATER LANSING SPORTS HALL OF FAME

Induction ceremony

When: July 26 -- 4:30 p.m. meet and greet; 5:45 p.m. dinner; 6:30 p.m. ceremony 

Where: Lansing Center

Tickets: $35 per individual, $280 for table of eight and can be purchased at lansingsportshalloffame.org

Hall of Fame class: Larry Bates (Eastern wrestling), Lindsay Bowen (Dansville basketball/softball), Tom Jakovac (Lansing Gabriel football/track), Randy Kinder (East Lansing football), Ernest “E.J.” Pasteur Jr. (Sexton wrestling), Jean Robinson Clum (Eastern swimming, volleyball, basketball, softball), Bob Stragier (Eastern football, basketball, baseball), Jeff Tropf (Holt basketball), 1970 Lansing all-star football, 1976 Williamston girls track, 2000, Grand Ledge football

Richard Letts Community Service Awards: Russ Sanches and Bob Bouck

Sponsors: Dean Transportation, Auto Owners Insurance, Applegate Home Comfort, Two Men And A Truck, Accident Fund, Shaheen Chevrolet, Dan Henry Distributing, and Magic Johnson Enterprise.