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Wisconsin Basketball: Former Badgers guard Freddie Owens making name for himself as coach

By Trevor Jossart

Mar 17, 2016; Spokane, WA, USA; Holy Cross Crusaders players gather at mid court during a practice day before the first round of the NCAA men's college basketball tournament at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 17, 2016; Spokane, WA, USA; Holy Cross Crusaders players gather at mid court during a practice day before the first round of the NCAA men's college basketball tournament at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Former Wisconsin Badgers guard Freddie Owens continues to pursue his goal as a coach

It is always great to see former Wisconsin Badgers basketball players continuing their on-the-court contributions following their playing careers. Many former members at Wisconsin are now a part of key collegiate programs all across the country.

One of these critical pieces is former Badgers guard, Freddie Owens. Currently an assistant coach at Holy Cross- a member of the Patriot League, Owens was a part of the staff on the Crusaders team that turned an improbable conference tournament run into a national tournament appearance. Holy Cross entered the Patriot League tournament as a No. 9 seed, winning four games in four days to secure their first tournament appearance in nearly a decade.

For Badgers fans, Owens was one of the catalysts to where the program is today. When Bo Ryan took over in 2001, fans had not seen any sort of repeated success probably in their entire lifetime. In Owens’ four years at Wisconsin, he helped bring in three Big Ten titles.

He also did some pretty cool things on the court.

Owens’ game winning shot against No. 13 Tulsa in the 2003 NCAA Tournament sent the Badgers to the Sweet 16. It was just the second Sweet 16 appearance ever for Wisconsin since the tournament had expanded to 64 teams.

While Badgers fans are grateful for his time at Wisconsin, and certainly the many successes he set up for us today, Owens still aspires to bring all he can to the programs he has been a part of.

His first stint as an assistant coach was with the Montana Grizzlies, who he saw three conference championships and two NCAA Tournament appearances with. Now, he sits under the right wing of long-time Northwestern coach Bill Carmody at Holy Cross.

As someone who was considered a long-shot to have any sort of college basketball career, Owens- who worked hard and earned a scholarship at Wisconsin, wants to make sure young athletes are getting the opportunities they need to succeed and get noticed.

One of the ways he can do that is reaching out to young athletes and helping them steer in the right direction. The only problem with this, as an assistant coach at Holy Cross, he is not allowed to communicate with recruits outside the allotted times given by the NCAA.

That is why he has started the Milwaukee Coaches Association, which is growing rapidly during its early infancy stages. The goal of the MCA, along with other various events and clinics, is to guide young athletes and teach them about the rules and regulations of playing college athletics and ultimately give them an opportunity when means are not necessarily there. With help, Owens will be able to indirectly lead these student-athletes in the directions they desire.

“I’m a product of Milwaukee and I know what it’s like coming out of the inner city and you’re fighting and clawing for everything,” Owens told the Wisconsin State Journal.

The process of this system will allow Owens to use his style and approach on other aspiring coaches, some of which have familiar-sounding names to Badgers fans. He hopes to make those who share his same vision better coaches, so in turn they can all have a positive influence on the up-and-coming student athletes.

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