On March 3rd, Tomestown stands out as the starboard for Troy University's basketball team. This 6 foot 8 junior averages 14.6 points and a league, leading 10.1 rebounds per game, with 313 total. Board so far, he set a Troy Division I record with 278 rebounds during the season and plays nearly 36 minutes every 40 minutes. Game without tiring.
Growing up in Dothan as one of 11 kids, 8 of them boys, Dowd learned competition early from constant sibling rivalries. His family stayed active, even piling out of the van for park runs or hitting the Westgate Trail at 7am every day during Covid lockdowns. Thanks to his dad's push to keep moving, Dowd switched from travel soccer to basketball in middle school, using his size to his advantage. Few recruiters noticed at first, but Troy spotted him at a camp and offered a scholarship before his junior year of high school.
There, he averaged 17 points and 16 rebounds as a senior, and he committed quickly, drawn to their emphasis on hustle and defense. Troy clinched the Sunbelt regular season title at 20 wins and 11 losses overall, 12 and 6 in conference, earning the top seed and a buy. To the tournament semifinals this Sunday at 5pm and Pensacola, last year, they won the whole thing and danced in the NCAA tournament, falling to Kentucky in the first round. Dowd thrives on effort plays like blocks and offensive boards, but he is already eyeing improvements and scoring inefficiency heading into the postseason push, matching his relentless drive to help Troy chase another title run.