St. John’s transfer has found a home at Texas Tech
https://nypost.com/2019/03/28/st-johns-transfer-has-found-a-home-at-texas-tech/
ANAHEIM, Calif. — When Tariq Owens decided to transfer from St. John’s to Texas Tech, he was looking to improve as a player and have a more meaningful impact that he did with the Red Storm.
Things couldn’t have worked out much better. The Red Raiders are in the Sweet 16, where they will play Michigan on Thursday at the Honda Center. And Owens is having a major impact, playing his best basketball at the right time.
After averaging 8.9 points per game during the season, the 6-foot-11 forward has scored in double figures in eight of his past 10 games. He combined for 22 points and 10 rebounds in the Red Raiders’ first- and second-round wins over Northern Kentucky and Buffalo. His biggest contribution, however, is defensively, where his length adds to a defense that ranks second in the country limiting opponents to 36.8 percent shooting.
“Everybody has things we need to work on,” Owens said Wednesday, “and our coaching staff, instead of telling us we need to work on them, they put plans in place for us to work on them, and I really enjoy that about this program.”
Owens considered transferring to Maryland and returning to St. John’s for his final year of eligibility, but settled on Texas Tech because of head coach Chris Beard and his staff.
“I knew this would be an environment that I’d be able to come down and work in,” Owens said. “The main thing that attracted me is the fact I’d be given the opportunity to work as hard as I can. I like being in environments where you have something to prove and you have to work to really achieve something. Coach Beard doesn’t give anything easy. It doesn’t matter who you are.”
The third-seeded Red Raiders (28-6) and No. 2 seed Michigan (30-6) meet in a West Region semifinal with the winner advancing to the Elite Eight. Texas Tech won the Big 12 regular-season championship and has reached the Sweet 16 for the second straight year and fourth time overall after advancing to the Elite Eight for the first time in school history last year. The Red Raiders have held 12 opponents to under 55 points this season and will look to disrupt Michigan, which is making is third straight Sweet 16 appearance and fifth under coach John Beilein.
“It’s going to come down to playing our brand of basketball and staying true to ourselves and playing how we’ve been playing all year,” Owens said. “We’ll stick to the process and do the things that got us here; not changing just because we made it to the NCAA Tournament. Although the environment has changed, we’re still the same team and put in the same work.”
Beilein said he is expecting a grind-it-out game in which points could be at a premium.
“Both teams have good players and that’s what will end up deciding this game,” he said. “You’ve got to make open shots if we get any and then we’ve got to be able to score the ball against a really good defense.”
https://nypost.com/2019/03/28/st-johns-transfer-has-found-a-home-at-texas-tech/
ANAHEIM, Calif. — When Tariq Owens decided to transfer from St. John’s to Texas Tech, he was looking to improve as a player and have a more meaningful impact that he did with the Red Storm.
Things couldn’t have worked out much better. The Red Raiders are in the Sweet 16, where they will play Michigan on Thursday at the Honda Center. And Owens is having a major impact, playing his best basketball at the right time.
After averaging 8.9 points per game during the season, the 6-foot-11 forward has scored in double figures in eight of his past 10 games. He combined for 22 points and 10 rebounds in the Red Raiders’ first- and second-round wins over Northern Kentucky and Buffalo. His biggest contribution, however, is defensively, where his length adds to a defense that ranks second in the country limiting opponents to 36.8 percent shooting.
“Everybody has things we need to work on,” Owens said Wednesday, “and our coaching staff, instead of telling us we need to work on them, they put plans in place for us to work on them, and I really enjoy that about this program.”
Owens considered transferring to Maryland and returning to St. John’s for his final year of eligibility, but settled on Texas Tech because of head coach Chris Beard and his staff.
“I knew this would be an environment that I’d be able to come down and work in,” Owens said. “The main thing that attracted me is the fact I’d be given the opportunity to work as hard as I can. I like being in environments where you have something to prove and you have to work to really achieve something. Coach Beard doesn’t give anything easy. It doesn’t matter who you are.”
The third-seeded Red Raiders (28-6) and No. 2 seed Michigan (30-6) meet in a West Region semifinal with the winner advancing to the Elite Eight. Texas Tech won the Big 12 regular-season championship and has reached the Sweet 16 for the second straight year and fourth time overall after advancing to the Elite Eight for the first time in school history last year. The Red Raiders have held 12 opponents to under 55 points this season and will look to disrupt Michigan, which is making is third straight Sweet 16 appearance and fifth under coach John Beilein.
“It’s going to come down to playing our brand of basketball and staying true to ourselves and playing how we’ve been playing all year,” Owens said. “We’ll stick to the process and do the things that got us here; not changing just because we made it to the NCAA Tournament. Although the environment has changed, we’re still the same team and put in the same work.”
Beilein said he is expecting a grind-it-out game in which points could be at a premium.
“Both teams have good players and that’s what will end up deciding this game,” he said. “You’ve got to make open shots if we get any and then we’ve got to be able to score the ball against a really good defense.”
