Norwalk graduates and brothers, Bowen and Redek Born, are both playing NCAA Division I college basketball this season. Bowen is a graduate student at Colorado State University following four seasons at the University of Northern Iowa. Redek is a true freshman for Northern Iowa.

Bowen Born, a 5-foot-11 guard, is averaging 5.1 points and 1.9 rebounds per game for Colorado State, which is 8-6 overall and 2-1 in the Mountain West Conference. Born plays 17.1 minutes per game off the bench. He has contributed 31 assists, eight steals and 10 3-point field goals while making all 15 of his free throws.

In his four-year UNI career, Bowen Born played in 118 games, starting 89 times, and averaged 12.6 points. He was named the 2021 Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year and the 2022 MVC Sixth Man of the Year. Bowen scored 2,494 points in a stellar career at Norwalk, leading the Warriors to three state tournament appearances and the Class 3A championship in 2020. As a senior that year, he was named Iowa’s Mr. Basketball and the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year.

Redek Born, a 6-foot-3 guard and 2024 Norwalk graduate, has played in five games for UNI, which is 9-5 overall and 3-0 in the Missouri Valley. Averaging nearly 10 minutes per contest, Redek has totaled seven points, five rebounds and four assists. He scored 1,467 career points at Norwalk and was a two-time first team All-State selection, helping Norwalk qualify for the 4A state tournament in 2023.