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Ken Owens (basketball)

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For the Welsh rugby union player, see Ken Owens.
Ken Owens
Personal information
Born (1959-05-03) May 3, 1959 (age 65)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High schoolManhattan Vocational and Technical
(New York City, New York)
College
NBA draft1982: 4th round, 88th overall pick
Selected by the Seattle SuperSonics
PositionPoint guard
Number14
Coaching career1987–present
Career history
As coach:
1987–2020Columbia Basin (assistant)
Career highlights and awards

Ken Owens (born May 3, 1959) is an American basketball coach and former player. He is known for his college basketball career at the University of Idaho, and was the Big Sky Conference Player of the Year in 1982.

Early life and education

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Born and raised in New York City, Owens attended Manhattan Vocational and Technical High School, then went west to Treasure Valley Community College (TVCC) in eastern Oregon, where he was recruited by former Idaho assistant Dale James.

University of Idaho

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This connection paid off for Vandals' head coach Don Monson as he recruited the point guard to complete his college career on the Palouse at Idaho.[1][2][3]

Owens moved into the Idaho starting lineup immediately, succeeding conference player of the year Don Newman.[1] He helped lead the Vandals to their first regular season title, averaging 13.5 points and 3.8 assists per game and earning second-team all-conference honors.[4][5] At the close of the 1980–81 season, Owens led the team to a Big Sky tournament championship and the program's first NCAA tournament berth. He scored 18 points in the championship game against Montana and was named tournament MVP.[6][7][8] Seventh-seeded in the West region, the Vandals lost in overtime by a point and ended the season at 25–4.

The following season, Idaho returned the bulk of its perimeter attack with Owens, 1981 Big Sky Player of the Year Brian Kellerman, and senior forward Gordon Herbert, who returned after a medical redshirt year.[9] The Vandals opened with sixteen victories, including wins over four Pacific-10 Conference opponents. An early highlight of the season was winning the Far West Classic in Portland in late December, defeating Iowa State, Oregon State, and Oregon. Owens led the way, scoring 32 points in the championship game and taking tournament MVP honors.[10] The fast start helped the Vandals to rise to eighth in the AP poll before falling at Montana on a last-second shot in January.[11] This was their sole conference loss, and only one of two in a 24–2 regular season; they won their last eight games and climbed to sixth in both major polls. Owens capped the regular season by winning Big Sky Player of the Year honors, [12][13] averaging 14.5 points and 4.0 assists.[14]

Idaho again hosted and won the conference tournament, and Owens repeated as tourney MVP.[15] Ranked eighth in both polls, they entered the 48-team NCAA tournament as the West region's third seed, with a first-round bye. After an overtime win in the second round over Iowa at neighboring Pullman, the Vandals advanced to the Sweet 16, but fell in a rematch to fourth-ranked Oregon State, the West's second seed, and ended at 27–3, which remains the program's best season.

Owens has received several accolades for his two seasons at Idaho, the best ever (52–7 (.881)) for Vandal basketball. In 1988, he was named to the Big Sky Conference's all-time team, named for the league's 25th anniversary.[16] In 2012, he was inducted into the University of Idaho's athletics Hall of Fame.[17]

Later playing career and coaching

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Following the close of his college career, Owens was selected in the fourth round (88th overall) of the 1982 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics,[18] but did not make the team. After a failed tryout with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League, he signed with Athletes in Action Canada, and played exhibitions against a number of U.S. and Canadian colleges.[19] In 1987, he turned to coaching, accepting an assistant coach position at Columbia Basin College in Pasco, where he remained for over thirty years.[17]

References

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  1. ^ a b Killen, John (January 10, 1982). "Magic: Owens makes teams go poof". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 6C.
  2. ^ "'Union Pacific' — no ramblin' wreck but a fine engineer". The Spokesman-Review. February 12, 1982. p. 20. Retrieved August 9, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ White Jr., Gordon S. (January 18, 1982). "Idaho is rolling on, with New Yorker key player". The New York Times. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  4. ^ "Guards head league's list". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. March 12, 1981. p. 22.
  5. ^ "Briefs: Kellerman honored". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). March 12, 1981. p. 52.
  6. ^ Sahlberg, Bert (March 10, 1981). "Vandals win it all over stubborn Grizzlies". Idaho Argonaut. (Moscow). (University of Idaho). p. 9.
  7. ^ "Idaho wins first-ever Sky crown". Times-News. March 8, 1981. p. 41. Retrieved August 9, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  8. ^ "Vandals battle Pitt in NCAA Tourney opener". The Spokesman-Review. March 9, 1981. p. 10. Retrieved August 9, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  9. ^ "Guard tandem spearheads Idaho's Big Sky title defense". Times-News. November 11, 1981. p. 46. Retrieved August 9, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  10. ^ "Idaho has no time to celebrate". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). December 31, 1981. p. 13. Retrieved August 9, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  11. ^ "Selvig's followup gives Grizzlies stunning 53–51 win over no. 8 Idaho". Independent Record. January 24, 1982. p. 9. Retrieved August 9, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  12. ^ "Vandals honored". Spokane Chronicle. (Washington). March 10, 1982. p. 34.
  13. ^ "Owens: Vandal guard named MVP". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. March 10, 1982. p. 1C.
  14. ^ "Idaho guards lead list of Big Sky All-Stars". The Sacramento Bee. March 11, 1982. p. 70. Retrieved August 9, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  15. ^ Killen, John (March 7, 1982). "Vandals dream of another playoff". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. p. 3C.
  16. ^ "'Krysko' pulls most votes for all-time Big Sky team". The Montana Standard. January 24, 1988. p. 12. Retrieved August 9, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  17. ^ a b "Hall of Fame - Ken Owens". Idaho Vandals. January 5, 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  18. ^ "Ken Owens goes in 4th". Missoulian. June 30, 1982. p. 27. Retrieved August 9, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  19. ^ "Former Vandal returns to roots". The Spokesman-Review. November 9, 1982. p. 17. Retrieved August 9, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
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