Weekday
The weekly feature page of the University Daily Kansan February 22,1978
His office in Parrett Athletic Center is as much a gallery as an office. Large framed photographs of great moments and individuals in recent University of Kansas basketball dominate the walls.
One photograph features Jo Do White as a collegian; another shows him accepting Olympic gold in Mexico City. On another wall Dave Robisch leaps for a rebound. One of the best depictions Donna's shooting out the stretched arms of All-Americas May and Kent Bensen in the 1974 KU-Indiana game.
gamble.
Skilabic awards, honoring genuine student athletes, complement the action photos. Academic All-America plaques engraved with the names of Chris Barnhouse and, more recently, Ken Koenigs, hang alongside Von Moore's jump shot. Another plaque honors Tom Kivisto.
Toward, but not in the back of the office is the
An intense and determined man, Owens adds his personal touch to a practice. Unlike many outstanding teams of the past, this year's team is a blend of the old players with the new. Owens says.
Story DV wait braun
Owens said that the habits and attitudes he acquired as a boy and player carried over into his coaching and that the habits his players learned also were reflected on the court.
He said enthusiasm and respect for one another's abilities were the key characteristics of this year's Big Eight championship squad.
"I am most hesitant to start comparing teams," he said, "because each team is special. Coach them, though, has been especially fun and rewarding. We know that in games they bring practices are one of their strengths."
coach's dek. it is crowded, but not cluttered, and two Bieu championship trophies flank its surface.
regular season球队, we've played aggressive defense, and although we would have liked to run more in past seasons; we didn't have the talent to run consistently." Owens said.
behind the trophies. He is in a smart brown suit,
Ted Owens was recruiting. He was writing a carefully
worded note on one end of a 15-foot-long poster that
might be on its way to a highly regarded high
schooler. The poster would hang in the recruit's
bedroom when he returned from school that day.
Owens finished writing, inspected his note and capped it.
practice are one of their setbacks. The current Jaywhacks' enthusiasm has paid off. They are running and pressing their way to KU's best regular season record since the 1971 team finished 25-1.
Owens, who had just won his sixth conference championship in 14 years as KU head basketball coach, already was working on a plan to win the national title. Owens understands KU basketball tradition, its advantages and its drawbacks.
"I've lived through more than 20 years of the KU tradition as an opponent, assistant coach and head coach," Owens said, choosing his words as carefully as he chose his clothes.
"In 1951, I was on the Oklahoma team that upset KU in Hoch and knocked them out of the conference championship. KU responded the next year, then they won again. It waited at the time that one day would be coaching here."
"My coaches, in high school and at Oklahoma, set pretty good examples for me. There were not only fundamentally sound, they were good, loyal, dedicated men."
I would be collin him now, by the time he played collegiate basketball, that he wanted to coach the sport. He credited his high school coach for instilling in him the discipline and dedication necessary for success.
Owens said, "I had a couple players at a time who could run up and down the court all night, but this year everyone can do it, and they do. You've got to be able to run as a team."
Photos by Eli Reichman
For a game of tennis, that, although his approach to the game hadn't changed through the years, he was still a master. He was one of those who could play at high levels.
"I learned that, in practice, it isn't the length of time you spend on the court that counts, but how well that time is spent," he said. "We work harder now than we used to but aren't on the court nearly as long."
Owens said some of his most rewarding moments as KU basketball coach came during the spring of 1971. He said that, during the anti-Vietnam and anti-Siamese wars, the basketball team was a rare unifying factor.
"The interest that grew in that team—well—it was one of the few things around here that people could get together and be excited about," Owens said. "Anytime you can bring the students together, not just for enjoyment, but also to share an experience, you've done something worthwhile."
There were few rewards, however, last year, as KU's 18-10 record and fourth place conference finish were considered a dismal failure by some students.
compass to the Kanan editor demanded Owens' dismissal, and a 'Gong Owens' campaign, compiled with T-shirts, was from the frustration and complaints that were filed by Lafayette Norwood and Bob Hill.
Norwood and Bob Hill.
Owens said that his whole staff and he, particularly,
was disappointed by the small but vocal group of
critics.
"I don't think anyone realizes just how hard we work," he said. "My loyalty for this University runs very, very deep." He yelled at I, saying it wasn't a mistake, but I knew I would be made some mistakes, but I think we've done a good job.
"I've always been a great believer that players and coaches need their fans more after a loss than after a victory. That's the time to rally behind them. The test of loyalty is what happens when things don't go well."
Owens would not predict how far the Jayhawks would advance in postseason play but said the next few years could be the most productive for the basketball program.
"Right now in the high schools of Kansas are probably the best basketball players the state has seen, and we're going after them," Owens said. "We have a team to work from, and the prospects are exciting."
That should be enough to make the most dedicated Gong-Owener turn in his T-shirt.
Owens never sits still while on the bench. Above, during the Nebraska game he spent many tense moments, but in the end the Jayhawks prevailed. Owens as usual was the last to leave, silently carrying another Big Eight Championship trophy to his office.
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