Bowman led the Jaguars into the national rankings last season and with the entire starting lineup returning, the Jaguars have a legitimate chance to win a national championship in NCAA Division II. The official release from Augusta State University follows.

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Augusta State’s Tyrekus “AJ” Bowman has been sidelined indefinitely due to a heart condition, Jaguar head coach Dip Metress announced Wednesday.

A senior forward from Tignall, Ga., Bowman will miss the beginning of preseason practice, which gets underway for the Jaguars on Monday, Oct. 15. His status for the season opener vs. Montevallo on Friday, Nov. 16 will be determined at a later date.

“I cannot emphasize enough our concern right now, first and foremost, is for the health, safety and well being of AJ and his family,” Metress said. “At this point, we’re not sure how long he is going to be out. That will all be determined by the doctors and our athletic training staff down the road. We know he’s not going to be on the floor on Oct. 15, and we’re preparing for that the best we can.”

A first-team All-America selection as a junior by the NABC, Bowman was named the 2007 College Player-of-the-Year in the state of Georgia among all divisions by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. He averaged 20.5 ppg. and 7.5 rpg. en route to winning Peach Belt Conference Player-of-the-Year honors and leading ASU to the PBC regular-season championship.

“This is a certainly a unique situation for all of us,” ASU Director of Athletics Clint Bryant said. “We have full confidence in the physicians and training staff who are working with AJ. We’re asking now that everyone respect the privacy of AJ and his family. At this time, and until we know more, we won’t have any further statement on his condition or his status.”

Led by Bowman, ASU returns all five starters from the 2006-07 squad that posted a 24-7 record, hosted the NCAA South Atlantic Regional as the region’s top seed and finished the season ranked No. 18 in the nation.

The Jags take on College of Charleston in an exhibition game on Thursday, Nov. 1 in Charleston, S.C., and face Clemson in an exhibition at Littlejohn Coliseum on Tuesday, Nov. 6.