Tariq Amir Owens (born June 30, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for Vanoli Cremona of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He played college basketball for the Texas Tech Red Raiders and St. John's having transferred after his freshman year at Tennessee.

Tariq Owens
Owens with the Texas Tech Red Raiders in 2019
No. 41 – Vanoli Cremona
PositionPower forward
LeagueLBA
Personal information
Born (1995-06-30) June 30, 1995 (age 29)
Utica, New York
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school
College
NBA draft2019: undrafted
Playing career2019–present
Career history
2019–2020Northern Arizona Suns
2020Phoenix Suns
2020→Northern Arizona Suns
2021Long Island Nets
2022–2023Pallacanestro Varese
2023–2024Napoli Basket
2024–presentVanoli Cremona
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Early life

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Owens is the son of Cassandra Wallace and Renard Owens and has two older sisters. Wallace died of pancreatic cancer when he was 14 years old.[1] Owens attended St. Vincent Pallotti High School, where he was coached by Shae Johnson. He was teammates with future Clemson player Marcquise Reed.[2] Owens spent a postgraduate year at Mount Zion Prep. He originally signed with Ohio but was released after a coaching change.[3]

College career

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Owens began his collegiate career at Tennessee, playing for one season before transferring to St. John's. He averaged 5.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game as a sophomore.[4] As a junior at St. John's, Owens averaged 8.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and a Big East Conference-best 2.8 blocks per game. Following the season, Owens opted to transfer as a graduate student, selecting Texas Tech over an offer from Maryland.[5]

Owens scored 18 points in a 78–63 win over USC on November 20, 2018.[6] As a senior at Texas Tech, Owens averaged 8.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game. He helped lead the Red Raiders to the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship game.[7] Owens was named to the Big 12 Conference All-Defensive Team and honorable mention All-Big 12.[8]

Professional career

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Northern Arizona Suns (2019–2020)

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After going undrafted in the 2019 NBA draft, Owens did not play in the NBA Summer League but suited up for the Phoenix Suns. On July 18, 2019, Owens signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Suns.[9] but was waived on October 15.[10] He was named to the roster of the Suns’ NBA G League affiliate, the Northern Arizona Suns.[11] Owens had a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds in a 117–113 loss to the Texas Legends on November 12.[12] On January 5, 2020, Owens led the team in scoring with 18 points to go with nine rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block across in a 101–93 victory over the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, helping snap a 13-game losing streak for Northern Arizona.[13]

Phoenix Suns (2020)

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On January 15, 2020, the Phoenix Suns announced that they had signed Owens to a two-way contract.[14] In his NBA debut on February 2, Owens scored two points and grabbed two rebounds in a 129–108 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.[15]

Long Island Nets (2021–2022)

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On January 27, 2021, Owens was included in the roster of the Long Island Nets, who mentioned that the returning right to Owens had been acquired from the Northern Arizona Suns along with returning right to Matt Farrell in exchange to returning rights to Joe Cremo and Drew Gordon earlier during off-season trades.[16]

Pallacanestro Varese (2022–2023)

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On July 19, 2022, he has signed with Pallacanestro Varese of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA).[17]

Napoli Basket (2023–2024)

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On July 27, 2023, he signed with Napoli Basket of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA).[18]

Vanoli Cremona (2024–present)

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On August 3, 2024, he signed with Vanoli Cremona of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA).[19]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2014–15 Tennessee 28 5 7.6 .353 .000 .526 1.1 .1 .2 .5 1.2
2015–16 St. John's   Redshirt
2016–17 St. John's 32 8 18.8 .504 .000 .750 5.2 .5 .6 2.2 5.2
2017–18 St. John's 33 26 30.3 .504 .324 .690 5.9 .5 .6 2.8 8.4
2018–19 Texas Tech 38 37 25.4 .611 .250 .780 5.8 .7 .5 2.4 8.7
Career 131 76 21.2 .533 .282 .725 4.7 .5 .5 2.0 6.2
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019–20 Phoenix 3 0 5.0 .200 .000 1.000 1.0 .0 .3 .0 1.3
Career 3 0 5.0 .200 .000 1.000 1.0 .0 .3 .0 1.3

References

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  1. ^ Braziller, Zach (April 6, 2019). "How Tariq Owens' father was 'everything' for his hoop career". New York Post. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  2. ^ Storms, Eric (March 1, 2018). "Robert Morris transfer Marcquise Reed has led Clemson to its best season in years". The Daily Orange. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  3. ^ Shaffer, Jonas (April 8, 2019). "On journey to NCAA title game, Texas Tech's Tariq Owens has come a long way since Maryland days". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  4. ^ "Tariq Owens Leaving St. John's Basketball Program". St. John's Red Storm. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  5. ^ Markus, Don (April 9, 2018). "St. John's graduate transfer Tariq Owens (Pallotti) picks Texas Tech over Maryland". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  6. ^ "Texas Tech to play Nebraska for Hall of Fame Classic title". ESPN. Associated Press. November 20, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  7. ^ Jones, Colton (July 18, 2019). "Suns sign forward Owens to one-year pact". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  8. ^ Johnson, Jarret (March 10, 2019). "Texas Tech racks up Big 12 honors following championship season". 247 Sports. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  9. ^ Ward, Devin (July 20, 2019). "Phoenix Suns sign Tariq Owens". KCBD.com. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  10. ^ "Suns Waive Krämer, Odiase, Owens". NBA.com. October 15, 2019. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  11. ^ Withee, Jacob (October 27, 2019). "NAZ Suns Announce 2019–20 Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  12. ^ Bergner, Brian (November 13, 2019). "NAZ Suns rally late, but fall to Legends 117–113". Prescott Valley Tribune. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  13. ^ "Tariq Owens: Leads team in scoring". CBS Sports. January 5, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  14. ^ "Phoenix Suns Sign Tariq Owens". NBA.com. January 15, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  15. ^ "Antetokounmpo lifts Bucks over Booker-led Suns 129–108". WMTV. February 2, 2020. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  16. ^ "Long Island Nets Announce 2021 Roster". NBA.com. January 27, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  17. ^ "Pallacanestro Varese officially signs Tariq Owens". Sportando. August 1, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  18. ^ "Gevi Napoli Basket, Arriva Tariq Owens". napolibasket.it (in Italian). July 27, 2023. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  19. ^ "Season 24/25: Tariq Owens". vanolibasket.it (in Italian). August 3, 2024. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
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