Keith Kensel Owens (born May 31, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association. The forward played one season with the Lakers in the 1991–92 season. He played college basketball for four seasons for the UCLA Bruins from 1987 through 1991.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 31, 1969 San Francisco, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Birmingham (Los Angeles, California) |
| College | UCLA (1987–1991) |
| NBA draft | 1991: undrafted |
| Playing career | 1991–1994 |
| Position | Small forward |
| Number | 25 |
| Career history | |
| 1991–1992 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1992–1993 | Montpellier |
| 1993–1994 | Oklahoma City Cavalry |
| 1994 | Fargo-Moorhead Fever |
| 1994 | Joventut Badalona |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Early life
editOwens was born in San Francisco, California.[1] He was 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) and played center in high school at Birmingham High in Van Nuys, California.[2]
College career
editOwens was more concerned with his education than being able to play basketball. He rejected athletic scholarship offers from Cal Poly Pomona and Hawaii. He attended college at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) instead, where he made the Bruins basketball team in his first year in 1987 as a 6-foot-8-inch (2.03 m) walk-on under coach Walt Hazzard.[2][3] However, Owens played so infrequently that year that he calculated his points and rebounds by the minute rather than by the game.[4] By his sophomore year under new coach Jim Harrick, Owens earned a scholarship.[2] He became an integral part of the team in his final two seasons. In his senior year, he was co-captain of the team and averaged 6.3 points and 5.3 rebounds a game and blocked 61 shots. Harrick called Owens "the best post defender we have—a real force for us."[4]
Professional career
editOwens made the Los Angeles Lakers roster for the 1991–92 season after beginning on their Summer Pro League team.[5][6] After being waived by the Lakers before the following season in October 1992,[7] he played in France in 1992–93 with Montpellier Paillade Basket in the Ligue Nationale de Basket.[8] Owens returned to the United States and played in the Continental Basketball Association in 1993–94, splitting the season between the Oklahoma City Cavalry and the Fargo-Moorhead Fever,[8] averaging 13.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game that year.[9] Afterwards, he went to Spain for a stint with Joventut Badalona in the Liga ACB.[8]
Later years
editOwens co-hosted the show Bruin Talk on Fox Sports West in 2000, interviewing UCLA athletes and coaches.[10][11]
References
edit- ^ "Keith Owens ABA & NBA statistics". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
- ^ a b c Heisler, Mark (October 11, 1991). "So Far, They Can't Find a Way to Get Rid of Keith Owens". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 23, 2013.
- ^ Dodds, Tracy (October 20, 1987). "Long Shot Is Missing for Bruins : With Miller Gone, UCLA Thinking Big". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 25, 2012.
- ^ a b Murphy, Austin (November 25, 1991). "Put Me In, Coach". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 17, 2020.[dead link]
- ^ Heisler, Mark (October 31, 1991). "New Laker Keith Owens Still Beating the Odds". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 28, 2010.
- ^ Herbert, Steven (July 21, 1991). "The Stars Come Out at Summer League : Basketball". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014.
- ^ Heisler, Mark (October 9, 1992). "New Day on the Beach Dawns for Lakers". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Keith Owens". ACB.com (in Spanish). Archived from the original on March 1, 2016.
- ^ 1994-95 Official CBA Guide and Register, page 327
- ^ "UCLA 'Bruin Talk' Cable Television Show". uclabruins.com. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on February 5, 2013.
- ^ Mason, Jason (April 4, 2000). "Bruins Talking". The Daily Bruin. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013.