Chris Fowler was announced as an assistant coach on the Northern Arizona men's basketball staff on July 15, 2020.

In his first season on the staff, Fowler was instrumental in the continued development of Cameron Shelton, who became the first Lumberjack to earn NABC All-District and All-Big Sky First Team honors since 2015. Shelton, who was just the sixth player in program history to earn the all-district honor with a spot on the All-District 6 Second Team, ranked 37th in the country in scoring at 19.2 points per game.

Fowler arrived at NAU following two seasons as a graduate assistant at Michigan State under Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame head coach Tom Izzo. During his two years with the Spartans, Michigan State compiled a 54-16 record, won the Big Ten regular season and tournament championships and advanced to the Final Four in 2019. The Spartans repeated as Big Ten regular season champions in 2020.

Fowler assisted the Spartans' coaching staff in the implementation of practice and game day operations in addition to scouting reports primarily on opponent personnel. Known for his player development, Fowler aided the development of 2019 Big Ten Player of the Year and consensus All-American Cassius Winston and 2020 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Xavier Tillman in addition to returning professional alumni including Jaren Jackson Jr., the fourth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Fowler was an accomplished point guard at Central Michigan from 2012-16, where he was a four-year team captain and still holds the Chippewas' all-time assist record (686). He also left as Central Michigan's all-time leader in free throws made (475) and attempted (680) and ranked third in steals (185) and fifth in points (1,736).
 
Over his four years at Central Michigan, Fowler was a three-time All-MAC and NABC All-District honoree. As a junior, he was the runner-up for MAC Player of the Year and was a finalist for the 2015 Lou Henson National Player of the Year Award, presented annually to the top Division I mid-major player. In the classroom, he earned CoSIDA Academic All-District honors in 2016. A three-time Academic All-MAC honoree, Fowler was also named the MAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete as a senior and was the recipient of Central Michigan's prestigious Bill Boyden Award, awarded annually to the Chippewa student-athlete who exemplifies leadership, academics and community service.
 
Following his collegiate career, Fowler was a second round pick of the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in the 2016 NBA D-League Draft. He proceeded to play overseas for the Rockhampton Rockets (Australia) and Baunach Young Pikes (Germany) from 2017-18. As a member of the Rockhampton Rockets, he led the team with 23.6 points and 5.6 assists per game.

The Southfield, Mich. native graduated from Central Michigan with a bachelor's degree in theatre & interpretation in 2016. Fowler received his master's degree in sports coaching & leadership from Michigan State in 2020.