SPOTLIGHT: Tariq Owens

Tariq Owens will step on the court wearing a Texas Tech uniform for the first time having already rejected 179 shots in his career. He had the eighth most blocks in the nation last season, finishing with 94 as a junior at St. John's University and was 10th in the BIG EAST with 5.9 rebounds per game. He's been on a basketball journey that took him Mt. Zion Prep after high school and then to the University of Tennessee and St. John's before joining the Red Raiders as a graduate transfer this season.

His route to Lubbock has been one of achievement and adjustments, but one he's navigated with the support of his father, his sisters, Napheissa and Sadiyyah, and the memory and inspiration of his mother, Cassandra, who passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2010.

"I'm proud of how hard I had to work to get here," Owens said. "I'm thankful because it wasn't easy. We've been through so much together. I lost my mom at a young age and it made us closer. This journey is all for her and for him."

"Losing Tariq's mother to cancer was hard on all of us," added Renard Owens, who is a Lieutenant in the Baltimore Police Department. "Tariq was 14 years old and being the youngest it took a toll on him. Tariq held a lot of his emotions in. Basketball gave him something to focus on. It saved my son. Cassandra would be so proud of Tariq. Unfortunately, she never got to see him blossom into the great basketball player he is now. I know he wishes she could see him under the bright lights."

Owens is coming off a season at St. John's where he averaged 8.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, was 11th in the BIG EAST with a 50.4 shooting percentage and recorded two double-doubles. In two seasons for the Red Storm, he would leave his mark in the program's record book with his shot-blocking ability where he led the team and the BIG EAST in the statistical category both seasons. His 94 blocks last season tied a single-season record for the program and followed 69 blocks during his sophomore season. His 163 rejections are the fifth most in the school's history, including a career-high eight blocked shots in a regular-season game against Georgetown and six in games against Nebraska and Iona.

"My mentality is just go and get it," Owens said. "I enjoy the game of cat and mouse. I like baiting people into coming into the paint and thinking they have wide-open layups and can get the shot off. Then I come in and clean it, send it into the second row or pinning it on the glass. There are a variety of blocked shots and I just love it. I try to outwork everyone on defense and it takes that mindset to go out and stop people. I'm looking to bring energy and defense. I enjoy playing defense, blocking shots and taking charges. As a senior, my goal is to get better with this coaching staff and seeing how far we can go."

An Odenton, Maryland native, Owens starred at St. Vincent Pallotti High School (Laurel, Maryland) before continuing his development at Mt. Zion Prep in Baltimore. He was a four-star recruit, ranked as the eighth-best prospect in Maryland and a top-100 prospect nationally before deciding to start his collegiate career at Tennessee. He'd play in 28 games a freshman, rejecting 13 shots for the Volunteers who would make a coaching change after the season. Owens decided to make his first transfer, a choice that put him in New York playing for coach Chris Mullin and the St. John's Red Storm. A year sitting out due to NCAA transfer rules was followed by two seasons of individual success as a shot blocker and growth as a player.

"I've gained experience at every school I've been at," Owens said. "I've played for great coaches who are hall of famers and have played at the highest level there is and on the Dream Team. I've learned a lot from them. I'm down here for my senior season looking forward to putting it all together and having a great run. What brought me to Lubbock is just seeing how real the coaching staff was. On my visit I saw the guys in the gym and how hard they were working. It was after the season and after they had just made their Elite Eight run. That stuck out to me. I love getting in the gym and working so having the opportunity to be a part of something where everyone is down to working with the same mindset of grinding it out is why I wanted to be a part of it."

In Owens the Red Raiders have an experienced player who can affect the game on both sides of the court. At 6-foot-10, he's versatile and has produced at the highest level in college basketball. Owens recorded 17 points, four rebounds, two steals and a block in an 81-77 win over No. 4 Duke before contributing nine points, nine rebounds and two blocks in a 79-75 win over Villanova in back-to-back games last season. He dropped a career-high 19 points and 14 rebounds in a New Year's Eve showdown against Seton Hall and he went for 13 points and seven rebounds in a BIG EAST Tournament first-round matchup against Georgetown.

"We are really excited to have Tariq here and feel fortunate that he has trusted all of us with his senior year," Beard said. "He was a highly recruited guy as a grad transfer and could have gone anywhere in the country to play his final year. We think he can help us in a lot of different ways with a lot of experience. He's a proven player over three years of playing. He can play around the basket and can also step out. He has elite athleticism and is one of the best shot blockers in college basketball."

Owens came to Texas Tech with a sense of urgency, understanding he'd have one year and that the need to develop his body to compete in the Big 12 was needed. He's always had the height since he hit a growth spurt as a freshman in high school that ended his football career but made him into the sought-after basketball presence he's become. He's heard for years that he was too lanky or too skinny, but he's never let that stop him before. Beard, like most things, had a plan. He got with his and the staff and have been working an accelerated regimen since his first day in Lubbock. With the guidance of strength and conditioning coach John Reilly and sports nutritionist John Boesch, Owens has already gained 25 pounds, is more conditioned and is jumping higher than he ever has in his career.

"They have done so much for me in the short amount of time that I've been here," Owens said. "The work I've done with them is going to help me the most. My body is stronger, I'm moving better and am jumping higher. I've increase my vertical and my maxes in the weight room. The work I've put in with them is what I've lacked in my college career so far and coach Reilly has provided what I have needed and more."

The sky's the limit for this man Tariq Owens. Since arriving as a grad transfer in July, he's gained 25 pounds & now increased his vertical by 2 1/2 inches, 42". ???? @TexasTechMBB #TheSecretsInTheDirt pic.twitter.com/XGFz9vCaHr
— John Reilly (@coach_jreilly) October 15, 2018

"Tariq came in here and bought into everything we wanted him to do. He believed in the plan John Reilly and John Boesch had for him and it's working," Beard said. "We had to get his body right to compete in the Big 12. He's done everything in the weight room and nutrition wise to transform himself into a player who will be ready to compete every night. He was disciplined with his diet and dedicated himself to the weight room this summer. We see him continuing on this path that he's on to become a future pro."

Owens is one of four seniors on this year's team, joining Brandone Francis, Norense Odiase and Matt Mooney who will all be looked at to lead. They each bring their own skillset and have taken a different paths along their careers. Odiase has been in Lubbock for five years, Francis started at Florida before transferring in three years ago while Mooney is a graduate transfer from South Dakota. In many ways they're still learning about each other on the court, but they've worked together since the summer when Owens and Mooney arrived and have formed a respect for each other that is important for the leadership group to possess.

"Tariq is one of the most positive guys I've been around," Francis said. "He's got a genuine personality, but when it comes down to basketball you see a different side of him. He's very active and aggressive on both ends of the floor. His shot-blocking ability is special, plus he has all the tools to help us win a championship."

"He is the kind of guy you love playing with," Mooney added. "He's got great energy and is always positive. He's an elite shot blocker and an above the rim athlete with great touch on his jumper."

"Tariq brings a lot of passion and energy to our team," Odiase said. "He's never in a bad mood and has bought into changing himself to help our team. He's one of the most selfless guys I've been around."

An important narrative to last year's success for the Red Raiders was the amount of experience the team had and the poise they played with. The loss of seniors Keenan Evans, Justin Gray, Tommy Hamilton IV, Zach Smith and Niem Stevenson along with freshman Zhaire Smith who was selected in the NBA Draft is something Beard knew the team had to address. The Red Raiders went 27-10, advanced to the program's first-ever NCAA Elite Eight and finished the season ranked No. 6 in the nation. Evans earned All-America honors to cap his career and each of the seniors played valuable roles throughout the year. It's hard to replace that kind of leadership overnight, but Beard likes what he's seen from Owens and Mooney in their time leading into the season. He sees Owens working hard on the court and on his body, but is also impressed with the things Owens has that his seniors possessed last year that add value to successful teams.

"His intangibles are what excite us the most," Beard said. "He has shown great character and leadership and is already one of the most popular guys in our locker room. He's gotten comfortable really quick here where it seems like he's been here his entire career."

Owens brings maturity and composure through the experiences he's lived through the loss of his mother, the experience he's had at each school along the way and through his education. He earned his bachelor's from St. John's in sports management and is currently enrolled in graduate school at Texas Tech.

"Hard work, accountability and responsibility are all the things that were instilled in all my children," said Renard Owens, who plans to travel from Maryland to watch the season opener against Incarnate Word on Nov. 6 in Lubbock. "Tariq was taught if it was two minutes or 30 minutes make it your best minutes. You control your effort. You see that when he's on the floor. He brings his hard hat so to speak. Cassandra was big on education and worked for the Board of Education. My children, knowing how important that was to her helped pushed them on because they didn't want to let her down."

Owens arrived in Lubbock a season after he led the BIG EAST with 2.8 blocks per game and had 35 more blocks than the player in the conference with the second most. He's a proven college basketball player that would already be Texas Tech's all-time leading shot blocker if had accumulated those numbers as a Red Raider. That's not what important to him now though. He's a senior who is about to start his final year of college basketball with the goals of improving as a player and helping his team win.

"My role as a leader is as a communicator," Owens said. "Communication is a big thing, on and off the court, especially when you're talking about playing defense the way we want to play defense being aggressive with it. I've shared my experiences of my years in college. I've been many different places, for different coaches and different systems. I've been trying to tell and show the younger guys what I've learned throughout the years.

"Ultimately, success for any team in college basketball is making it to the tournament. I've never played in the NCAA tournament. That is the goal I want to achieve."

Red Raider Nation is going to enjoy watching this young man this season. #WreckEm https://t.co/qyBVQBOuFj
— Kirby Hocutt (@kirbyhocutt) October 23, 2018

Players Mentioned

Brandone Francis

Keenan Evans

Justin Gray

Tommy Hamilton IV

Matt Mooney

Norense Odiase

Tariq Owens

Zach Smith

Zhaire Smith

Niem Stevenson

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