Billy Owens: Difference between revisions

{{for -multi|the American football player|Billy Owens (American football)|other people|William Owens (disambiguation)}}

| birth_place = [[Carlisle, Pennsylvania]], U.S.

| career_position = [[Small forward]] / [[Shootingshooting guard]]

As a high school senior, Owens averaged 34 points per game, and helped lead [[Carlisle High School (Pennsylvania)]] to four consecutive state titles. He was considered to be the second best prep player of 1988, behind [[Alonzo Mourning]]. Owens and Mourning were co-MVP'sMVPs in the McDonald's' Game. Throughout his career, Owens drew some comparisons to [[Magic Johnson]] due to his great versatility, ball handling and passing skills for his height.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140330022153/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1142560/index.htm sportsillustrated.cnn.com] Head Of The Class</ref>

As a 6'8" [[small forward]]/[[shooting guard]] from [[Syracuse University]], he was selected by the [[Sacramento Kings]] in the [[1991 NBA draft]]. However, after Owens remained a holdout beyond the start of the regular season, he was traded to the [[Golden State Warriors]] in exchange for high-scoring guard [[Mitch Richmond]].<ref>[{{Cite web |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/2005/06/24/gallery.nbabusts/content.8.html |title=Sports Illustrated] |access-date=2007-02-19 |archive-date=2010-10-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101012094653/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/2005/06/24/gallery.nbabusts/content.8.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The trade broke up the popular "[[Run TMC]]" trio of [[Mitch Richmond]], [[Tim Hardaway]], and [[Chris Mullin (basketball)|Chris Mullin]]; Owens' additional height compared to Richmond was the size that coach and general manager [[Don Nelson]] believed would complete the team.<ref name=cooper>{{cite news |last=Howard-Cooper |first=Scott |title=Time can't fade indelible mark Run TMC left on Warriors, NBA |date=August 23, 2011 |work=NBA.com |url=http://www.nba.com/2011/news/features/scott_howard_cooper/08/23/remembering-run-tmc-warriors/index.html |archive-url=https://wwwweb.webcitationarchive.org/6EmIeTr3Q?url=web/20140112010749/http://www.nba.com/2011/news/features/scott_howard_cooper/08/23/remembering-run-tmc-warriors/index.html |archive-date=FebruaryJanuary 2812, 20132014 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=hoffman>{{cite news |last=Hoffman |first=Benjamin |title=Fascination Lingers for Three Stars of Warriors' Brief Run |date=February 16, 2013 |newspaper=The New York Times |url=http://offthedribble.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/16/fascination-lingers-for-three-stars-of-warriors-brief-run/ |archive-url=https://wwwweb.webcitationarchive.org/6EmJa1UUJ?url=web/20130218121543/http://offthedribble.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/16/fascination-lingers-for-three-stars-of-warriors-brief-run/ |archive-date=February 2818, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Wolff|first=Alexander|title=The Golden West|date=December 2, 1991|magazine=Sports Illustrated|url=https://www.si.com/vault/1991/12/02/125531/the-golden-west-who-would-have-figured----certainly-not-us----that-the-retooled-warriors-and-the-magic-less-lakers-would-be-the-big-winners-in-the-pacific-division|archive-url=https://wwwweb.webcitationarchive.org/6EmSfLSAC?url=web/20140219203821/http://cnnsi.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?expire=&urlID=434965742&action=cpt&partnerID=289881&fb=Y&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsportsillustrated.cnn.com%2Fvault%2Farticle%2Fmagazine%2FMAG1140072%2Findex.htm|archive-date=February 2819, 20132014|url-status=live}}</ref> Nelson said he "was under pressure to get [the team] bigger" to improve the Warriors from a good team to a great one.<ref>{{cite news |last=Osborne |first=Ben |title=Original Old School: Run & Shoot & Shoot… |date=January 3, 2011 |work=SlamOnline.com |url=http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba/2011/01/original-old-school-run-shoot-shoot/%7C |archive-url=https://wwwweb.webcitationarchive.org/6EndGdv3l?url=web/20130514042038/http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba/2011/01/original-old-school-run-shoot-shoot/ |archive-date=MarchMay 114, 2013 |url-status=dead |access-date=April 7, 2014 }}</ref>

Owens averaged over 15 points and nearly eight rebounds during his tenure with the Warriors, including an [[NBA All-Rookie First Team]] selection in 1992. The Warriors improved from 44 to 55 games wonwins in his first season. However, he never provided his expected impact and played only three seasons with Golden State.<ref name=cooper/><ref name=hoffman/> Owens spent ten seasons with the Warriors, [[Miami Heat]], [[Sacramento Kings]], [[Seattle SuperSonics]], [[Philadelphia 76ers]], and [[Detroit Pistons]] before a string of injuries finally took its toll; his career ended in 2001.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140330004914/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG101141/index.htm sportsillustrated.cnn.com] Note From The Underground</ref>

From 2010 to 2018, BillyOwens served as an assistant coach for the men's basketball team at Division III Rutgers-Camden.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Billy Owens - Men's Basketball Coach|url=https://scarletraptors.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/billy-owens/42|access-date=2021-02-24|website=Rutgers-Camden Athletics|language=en}}</ref> In practice, players asked Owens how they should prepare themselves for professional careers. “I"I don’tdon't sugar-coat it because then you’reyou're playing with young kids’kids' minds,”" Owens said. “For"For them to have their dreams crushed can do serious damage to them when they become real adults.”"<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-05-24|title=Former SU basketball star Billy Owens pivots to a sports agent role|url=http://dailyorange.com/2020/05/billy-owens-sports-agent/|access-date=2021-02-24|website=The Daily Orange|language=en-US}}</ref>

He played for the [[United States men's national basketball team|US national team]] in the [[1990 FIBA World Championship]], winning the bronze medal.<ref>[http://www.usabasketball.com/history/mwc_1990.html 1990 USA Basketball] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070428001052/http://www.usabasketball.com/history/mwc_1990.html |date=2007-04-28 }}</ref> In the same year, he also represented the United States at the [[1990 Goodwill Games|Goodwill Games]] in [[Seattle]] and led the team in scoring en route to a silver medal.<ref>{{cite news |title=SECOND MEN'S GOODWILL GAMES - 1990 |url=https://www.usab.com/history/additional-usa-basketball-history/gwg-men/second-mens-goodwill-games-1990.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308132616/https://www.usab.com/history/additional-usa-basketball-history/gwg-men/second-mens-goodwill-games-1990.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 8, 2021 |access-date=18 May 2020 |work=www.usab.com |date=June 10, 2010}}</ref>

|style="text-align:left;”"|[[1991–92 Golden State Warriors season|Golden State]]

|style="text-align:left;”"|[[1993–94 Golden State Warriors season|Golden State]]

|style="text-align:left;”"|[[1995–96 Sacramento Kings season|Sacramento]]

* [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/2005/06/24/gallery.nbabusts/content.8.html NBA Draft Busts #13] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101012094653/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/2005/06/24/gallery.nbabusts/content.8.html |date=2010-10-12 }}

{{1991 NBA Draftdraft}}