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Rock Chalk Talk: Basketball
Anything pertaining to basketball: college, pro, HS, recruiting, TV coverage
Anything pertaining to basketball: college, pro, HS, recruiting, TV coverage
Looking back at Ted Owens
3 years 8 months ago - 3 years 8 months ago #26672
by HawkErrant
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime." - Mark Twain "Innocents Abroad"
For those of us who remember at least some of KANSAS basketball before Larry Brown was hired in April 1983, Ted Owens has a somewhat checkered place in our memories. At age 26 I came to KU in the fall of 1980 as a divorced dad (sans mon fils, who at almost 6 years old was back in Cumberland, Maryland with his mom) and a Junior after 2 years at Allegany Community College in Cumberland and 6 years in the Army. From Fall 1980 to Spring 1982 I spent very little time on anything but studying so I could finish my bachelor's degree ASAP. Come Summer 1982 and I found myseIf starting on my masters at KU (I decided to get more while I was used to being poor 
) and working as a Graduate Assistant for Professor Wiley Mitchell in the Graduate Programs office of the KU Business School. One night after finishing up a project in our offices in Summerfield Hall, my immediate supervisor coaxed me into going across the street to watch the second half of a basketball game in Allen Fieldhouse. It was my first exposure to Kansas basketball, and it was Ted Owens final season as head coach for the Jayhawks. Sadly, KU was not that impressive, and neither my supervisor (the future Mrs. HE) nor I can recall who the foe was or if KU won.
Larry Brown's hiring after Owens' firing brought a ray of hope to KU fans, and Brown's success lit a fire in me for KU hoops that burns bright to this day. In the end the success of Brown, Roy Williams and Bill Self has many of today's fans, especially those who never saw an Owens team at their best, with less than warm feelings for Coach Owens... and frankly, that's too bad, because Owens had a solid career at KU, making two Final Fours and earning recognition as National Coach of the Year in 1978 from Basketball Weekly.
So what happened?
Mrs HE opines that Ted's major problem was his inability to adapt to the evolving game. Being a born and raised Lawrence gal she got to see JoJo and Darnell, and notes that the offense had not really changed in the intervening years. The methodical, walk the ball up and set up the play, don't worry about fast break basketball that worked in the 1960s and early 1970s no longer was viable in the 1980s. Is she right? I'll leave that for others who actually saw Owens' Jayhawks over the years to debate.
What I do know is this -- his record does seem to support her supposition. Here is Coach Owens' KU career in total and broken down by his first 10 years, years 11-15 and his last 4 years.
His first 10 years? Solid. Four Big 8 titles, four 2nd place finishes, 4 NCAA appearances in an era where making the tournament was much, much harder, with two Final Fours and an Elite 8 in that span. KU also had two NIT appearances, including one title game run, back when the NIT meant something because the NCAAT field was so small (23 teams in 1968 and 25 teams in 1969).
His next 5 years saw two more conference titles and two more NCAA appearances, but KU did not get beyond its first game either time. And after finishing 1st in the Big 8 in 1975, KU was 13-13/8-6 (T-4th) just a year later in 1976.
The only success his last 4 years was 1981 when senior Darnell Valentine and juniors Tony Guy and Dave Magley led KU to the Sweet 16. The previous season KU had finished tied for 4th (15-14/7-7). His last two years KU had losing records (13-14/4-10 and 13-16/4-10) and finished 7th and tied for 6th respectively in the Big 8.
So again, what happened? Did an evolving game pass him by? Or did he just lose his touch?
Rock Chalk!
) and working as a Graduate Assistant for Professor Wiley Mitchell in the Graduate Programs office of the KU Business School. One night after finishing up a project in our offices in Summerfield Hall, my immediate supervisor coaxed me into going across the street to watch the second half of a basketball game in Allen Fieldhouse. It was my first exposure to Kansas basketball, and it was Ted Owens final season as head coach for the Jayhawks. Sadly, KU was not that impressive, and neither my supervisor (the future Mrs. HE) nor I can recall who the foe was or if KU won.Larry Brown's hiring after Owens' firing brought a ray of hope to KU fans, and Brown's success lit a fire in me for KU hoops that burns bright to this day. In the end the success of Brown, Roy Williams and Bill Self has many of today's fans, especially those who never saw an Owens team at their best, with less than warm feelings for Coach Owens... and frankly, that's too bad, because Owens had a solid career at KU, making two Final Fours and earning recognition as National Coach of the Year in 1978 from Basketball Weekly.
So what happened?
Mrs HE opines that Ted's major problem was his inability to adapt to the evolving game. Being a born and raised Lawrence gal she got to see JoJo and Darnell, and notes that the offense had not really changed in the intervening years. The methodical, walk the ball up and set up the play, don't worry about fast break basketball that worked in the 1960s and early 1970s no longer was viable in the 1980s. Is she right? I'll leave that for others who actually saw Owens' Jayhawks over the years to debate.
What I do know is this -- his record does seem to support her supposition. Here is Coach Owens' KU career in total and broken down by his first 10 years, years 11-15 and his last 4 years.
OWENS @KU OVERALL CONFERENCE
W L % W L % Big 8 Standings NCAAT
CAREER(19Yrs) 348 182 0.657 170 96 0.639 1(6),2(6),4(4), 7: FF(2),E8,S16,
6(2),7 R2,R1(2)
1st 10 Yrs
1964-74 191 83 0.697 100 40 0.714 1(4),2(4),4,6 4: FF(2),E8,R2
Next 5 Yrs
1975-79 92 47 0.662 46 24 0.657 1(2),2,4(2) 2: R1,R1
Last 4 Yrs
1980-83 65 52 0.556 24 32 0.429 4,2,7,6 1: S16His first 10 years? Solid. Four Big 8 titles, four 2nd place finishes, 4 NCAA appearances in an era where making the tournament was much, much harder, with two Final Fours and an Elite 8 in that span. KU also had two NIT appearances, including one title game run, back when the NIT meant something because the NCAAT field was so small (23 teams in 1968 and 25 teams in 1969).
His next 5 years saw two more conference titles and two more NCAA appearances, but KU did not get beyond its first game either time. And after finishing 1st in the Big 8 in 1975, KU was 13-13/8-6 (T-4th) just a year later in 1976.
The only success his last 4 years was 1981 when senior Darnell Valentine and juniors Tony Guy and Dave Magley led KU to the Sweet 16. The previous season KU had finished tied for 4th (15-14/7-7). His last two years KU had losing records (13-14/4-10 and 13-16/4-10) and finished 7th and tied for 6th respectively in the Big 8.
So again, what happened? Did an evolving game pass him by? Or did he just lose his touch?
Rock Chalk!
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime." - Mark Twain "Innocents Abroad"
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