Keith Owens

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.

Keith Owens
Personal information
Born (1969-05-31) May 31, 1969
San Francisco, California
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High schoolBirmingham (Los Angeles, California)
CollegeUCLA (1987–1991)
NBA draft1991 / Undrafted
Playing career1991–1994
PositionSmall forward
Number25
Career history
1991–1992Los Angeles Lakers
1992–1993Montpellier
1993–1994Oklahoma City Cavalry
1994Fargo-Moorhead Fever
1994Joventut Badalona
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Early life

Owens 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

Owens 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

Owens made the Los Angeles Lakers roster for the 1991–92 season after having to walk-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

Owens co-hosted the show Bruin Talk on Fox Sports West in 2000, interviewing UCLA athletes and coaches.[10][11]

References
  1. "Keith Owens ABA & NBA statistics". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
  2. 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 November 18, 2011.
  3. 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 November 18, 2011.
  4. Murphy, Austin (November 25, 1991). "Put Me In, Coach". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on February 12, 2013. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  5. Heisler, Mark (October 31, 1991). "New Laker Keith Owens Still Beating the Odds". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 18, 2011.
  6. Herbert, Steven (July 21, 1991). "The Stars Come Out at Summer League : Basketball". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 18, 2011.
  7. Heisler, Mark (October 9, 1992). "New Day on the Beach Dawns for Lakers". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 18, 2011.
  8. "Keith Owens". ACB.com (in Spanish). Archived from the original on February 12, 2016.
  9. 1994-95 Official CBA Guide and Register, page 327
  10. "UCLA 'Bruin Talk' Cable Television Show". uclabruins.com. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 18, 2011.
  11. Mason, Jason (April 4, 2000). "Bruins Talking". The Daily Bruin. Archived from the original on November 18, 2011.
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