Freddie Owens Position: Assistant Coach

A former basketball standout at Wisconsin, Freddie Owens is now in his third year at The University of Montana.

Owens, 30, spent the 2008-09 season as a graduate assistant coach for the Iowa State Cyclones, handling film exchange, various administrative duties, and assisting in scouting.

Prior to his stint at ISU, Owens was an assistant coach during the 2007-08 season at Adams State College in Alamosa, Colo., where he assisted in game day preparation, scouting, and film editing.

He played professionally in Latvia in 2005-06 and was an AAU coach for a season before joining the Adams State Grizzlies coaching staff in 2007. The Grizzlies went 18-10, recording their most wins since joining the Division II ranks (1992-93) in his only season there.

A native of Milwaukee, Wis., Owens was a starter for head coach Bo Ryan and the Badgers in 2003 and 2004 and the "sixth man" as a sophomore. He scored 796 points in his four-year career (2001-04).

A 6-2 guard, Freddie was on two Big Ten regular-season championship teams (2002, 2003) and one Big Ten Tournament championship squad (2004). Wisconsin qualified for NCAA Tournament play in all four of his seasons in Madison, including a Sweet Sixteen appearance as a junior in 2003 when Owens nailed a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to defeat Tulsa.

He earned his master's degree in higher education from Iowa State University. He earned a degree in life sciences and communications from Wisconsin in 2005. Freddie married Carmen Gust in August of 2010. His dad is Lawrence Owens Sr. of Milwaukee.

Quoting head coach Wayne Tinkle:
"Freddie brings instant credibility because he was a great player in a great conference, the Big 10, when he was at Wisconsin. He's a young guy who can get out there and show the guys what he is talking about, instead of always just telling them. He's got a nice understanding of X's and O's and of course he played for a great one in Bo Ryan. I think on the court he's already paid big dividends as far as player development and skill development. The players will be attentive to him because he's been through it. He's a young, confident, vocal coach."