In a state that prides itself on its basketball, Rick Owens lived a life devoted to the game.
Owens starred at Union (Modoc) High School in the early 1960s, finishing his Rockets career as the school's and Randolph County's all-time scoring leader.
After serving in the Navy, Owens returned to Indiana high school basketball as an official, a role in which he spent 33 years and for which he was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame as a Men's Center Circle Officials Award winner.
But it was the third and final chapter of Owens' basketball career that allowed him to leave his biggest impact. He became a coach.
Owens died March 29 at 79 from an abdominal aneurysm. His passing just a few short weeks after celebrating a regional title with the Golden Bears left a hole in the Monroe Central community.
Owens had stints coaching at three different Randolph County schools. He started at his alma mater as a girls assistant, eventually becoming head coach, then did the same at Winchester Community for the boys team. He spent the last decade as an assistant for the boys team at Monroe Central.
"It's really hard to lose someone as great as him," said Easton Foster, a Monroe Central senior player. "I mean, coach Owens is probably one of my favorite people in the world. He meant so much to me, and losing him really did, it hurt real bad. And, I mean, it's going to hurt the community too."
Former players described Owens as a positive, uplifting voice with a contagious passion for basketball. Quick with a joke, Owens could always be counted on to get a smile or laugh out of his players. He presented himself as a friend first and a coach second, and he truly meant that.
"I only made consistent phone calls to three people back home, my parents ... and coach Owens," said Josiah Cleveland, who played for Monroe Central from 2020-24. "I remembered the way he grabbed me at my open house and told me to make sure I stayed in touch, so I did. I would make sure to call him every few weeks, and if I didn't ... he would call me."
Connor Detweiler played for Owens at Winchester from 2008-12. During the 2011 sectional tournament, Detweiler came down with a stomach bug. He tried to go to ...
