Much like his former classmate Moses Ayegba, Aaron Bowen endured a long and difficult road back from injury to be an important contributor to the Georgetown Hoyas. But while Ayegba opted to complete a fifth year as a graduate student at the University of Nebraska, Bowen returned for a fifth year on the Hilltop, the first Georgetown player to see action over five seasons since Courtland Freeman from 1999-2004.

Bowen grew up in Jacksonville FL, attending Wolfson HS before a year at Quality Education Academy in Winston-Salem, NC, averaging 17 points and six rebounds. He played in seven games as a freshman, but an ongoing shoulder injury forced him into surgery and Bowen was lost for the season. Playing behind the likes of Otto Porter and Greg Whittington made it difficult for Bowen to climb in the rotation, and saw only limited action as a sophomore, and it was not until his junior year, when Bowen had an key basket in the Hoyas' win over Louisville, that Bowen's star began to shine.

In a year with a depleted roster, Bowen was a valuable player off the bench for the Hoyas in 2013-14, playing in all 28 games, starting one, and averaging just under 20 minutes per game. In his fifth year, Bowen saw action in all games that season and his shooting percentage was second on the team behind Josh Smith. Bowen's best game in a Georgetown uniform came on December 27, 2014, when he came off the bench to score a career high 22 points in a 91-87 upset of Indiana. Bowen shot 10 for 13 from the field, and remarked after the game that "I just wanted to bring it to the team."