In the 2003-04 men's basketball media guide, Robert Owens liststhe recently-retired David "The Admiral" Robinson as his favoriteprofessional athlete.
This season, Ball State is looking for Owens to be an admiralfor its team. Along with junior shooting guards Matt McCollom andDennis Trammell, the senior forward has been named a captain forthe 2003-04 Cardinals.
"We've got to do the best we can to be leaders on the team,"said Owens, who started 22 of 30 games last season. "Lead byexample, learn from the mistakes we made in the past."
Owens added that his role as a leader is made easier by thenewcomers.
"I'm trying, but the guys listen better than I did when I camehere," he said. "When I came here, it was coach's first year, and Iwanted to jump into a leadership role then."
The senior forward committed to Ball State in the 1999-2000season, his senior one in high school, before then-coach RayMcCallum left for Houston. Owens considered backing out, but newboss Tim Buckley persuaded him to come to Muncie, and the proximityto his hometown of Columbus, Ohio didn't hurt.
"When coach Buckley came, he gave me a couple calls," he said."He said he called at 11 o'clock on school nights and I wasn'thome. I just wanted to stay close to home. I didn't want to go allthe way down south. I wanted my mom and dad and brother to be ableto come watch me. I decided to stick with it."
Coach Buckley not only sees Owens as a leader, but also as themost improved player on the Cardinals roster, and that theimprovement is a surprise to some.
"I think if you went through Columbus and asked people if theythought Rob was going to progress like he has progressed, theywould have said 'No,'" Buckley said. "That's been very fun to see.It's been very impressive because Rob came and bought inwholeheartedly."
The numbers don't lie in Owens' tale of improvement. After heaveraged 2.9 points and 2.3 rebounds as a freshman, those figuresgrew to 4.6 and 3.2 sophomore year, and finally 10.2 and 4.9 lastseason. Over the final six games, Owens put up 17 points and 6.2rebounds, including a career-high 28 points in the Cardinals MACTournament loss to Bowling Green.
In addition to his shooting and rebounding, Owens also feels hehas improved his toughness -- not just physically but also betweenthe ears.
"Last year (the focus) was shooting," he said. "This year it wasgetting stronger in the weight room, getting mentally stronger.Just being tough with the ball, and being mentally tough. Like,don't let anybody break my spirit."
Owens also credits Buckley with building a strong work ethic inhim.
"Coach has made me a harder worker," he said. "I've always had alittle talent, but he made me a hard worker. Hard work and talentgoes a long way.
"I just felt like I didn't have to work hard in high school.When I got here, he let me know it's serious. It's not just aboutbasketball; it's about the real world. It's made me a better playerand a better person."
Since coming to Muncie from Brookhaven High School in Columbus,Owens has built his wiry 6-foot-7-inch frame up to 203 pounds. Hehas proved to be remarkably durable in the process, playing in all95 games of his first three seasons at Ball State.
That added bulk will come in handy this season. Sophomore centerTom Howland is still recovering from knee surgery last month, andsophomore Kevin Cates, last season's starter at the position, isout indefinitely with an undisclosed illness. As a result, Owenswill concentrate on playing more inside than on the perimeter. InBall State's first exhibition game, Owens played exclusively atforward and notched 18 points and 12 rebounds in 18 minutes off thebench.
Whether starting or not, playing wing or forward, Owens willagain be a major key to the Cardinals' success as they look torebound from a disappointing 13-17 season.
"My permanent position might best be the wing," he said. "Butwith those guys being out, they need me to play down low right now.Whatever for the team. I know we just want to get some wins underour belt. When guys come back we'll figure it out from there."
The ultimate goal is to get to the NCAA Tournament. That's onething I haven't accomplished since I've been here. This is myfourth year, and I definitely want to do that before Igraduate."
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