Carol Owens Position: Head Coach Experience: 3rd Year Alma Mater: Northern Illinois, 1990

When Carol Owens was a sophomore, she told then head coach Jane Albright that she would return in two or three years as one of her assistants. Well, it took Owens a little longer than planned and her job description is a little different than she thought, but she finally returned to Northern Illinois on March 15, 2005 when athletics director Jim Phillips named Owens NIU's eighth head women's basketball coach.

"This is a dream come true," Owens said. "I can't explain how excited I am to be part of the Huskie family again.

"I had a great experience here, playing under Jane Albright. (Notre Dame head coach) Muffet McGraw allowed me to grow and get ready for the next step in my career. I still seek their guidance in everything I do. They were both instrumental to me as a coach."

When Owens arrived back on campus, she became the first Northern Illinois undergrad to serve as a head coach in a revenue program at NIU since Howard Fletcher served as head football coach from 1956-68.

She's a Huskie tried and true," said Phillips. "Several other head coaching opportunities have come up, but she wanted to return to her beloved alma mater. For us, she represents the perfect institutional fit."

When she arrived in DeKalb, Owens had two goals, win the Mid-American Conference and make it to the NCAA Tournament. Owens laid the groundwork for those goals in her first season. Owens didn't waste time picking up her first career victory. The Huskies beat North Dakota State 67-62 in the season opener. After getting off to a slow start, the Huskies had a solid showing in conference play.

NIU edged out Central Michigan, 59-57 in its second conference game. The Huskies then beat Toledo 71-60. NIU pulled off its most impressive win of the season when the Huskies beat Buffalo 81-72 in triple overtime. Owens and the Huskies finished conference play with a 7-9 mark, sweeping three teams, heading into the MAC Tournament.

The Huskies opened the Tourney at home, playing host to Miami (OH). NIU defeated the RedHawks 73-65 to advance to the MAC Quarterfinals for the first time since 2002. The Huskies underwent a four-win improvement in Owens' first season and the team also experienced success off the court, posting a team GPA of 3.2.

Owens spent the summer of 2006 as an assistant coach to Doug Bruno on the 2006 USA Basketball Women's Under 18 National Team as Team USA picked up the gold medal at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship.

Owens came to NIU after serving 10 years as a top assistant to McGraw at the University of Notre Dame, beginning in 1995.

The Fighting Irish advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament during her first season. They reached the Final Four in Owens' second season and won the school's first-ever National Championship in women's basketball in 2001. Owens left South Bend having been a part of 10 consecutive NCAA appearances, six trips to the Sweet Sixteen, two Final Four teams and one national title.

Over the years, Owens' coaching focus centered on the development of Notre Dame's post performers. Her most famous pupil, Ruth Riley (1997-2001), capped off her Irish days as the consensus National Player of the Year (2000-01) and earned All-America status. Riley, Katryna Gaither (1993-97) and Kelley Siemon (1997-2001) were all selected in the Women's National Basketball Association draft upon completion of their Notre Dame careers.

In 2003, Riley led the Detroit Shock to the WNBA title and was named the Finals' Most Valuable Player. Riley also became the first Irish women's alumna to make the United States Olympic Team and earned a gold medal in Athens, Greece.

In 2001-02, another Owens student, forward Jacqueline Batteast, was named the United States Basketball Writers Association National Freshman of the Year, Women's Basketball Coaches Association/Kodak All-America and unanimous choice for Big East Conference Rookie of the Year. Batteast and center Theresa Borton attended the USA Basketball National Team Trials, while forward Courtney LaVerne made the Big East All-Rookie team and freshman All-America. Riley and Batteast led the Detroit Shock to its second WNBA title in 2006.

At the same time, Owens gained a national reputation as a recruiter and helped the Irish sign eight-straight Top 20 recruiting classes from 1996-2003. Notre Dame's 2001-02 incoming freshman were ranked third-best in the country by the Blue Star Index and the 2002-03 rookies were rated 14th-best nationally by the same publication. In 2001, Owens was cited as one of the top-five assistant coaches in the country by Women's Basketball Journal.

"Carol has made a major impact on our program from day one," said McGraw. "She's the very best as a coach and a recruiter. She's done a super job of attracting the right people to Notre Dame and then teaching them to reach their maximum potential. She expects and demands the best from each and every player she coaches."

As a player, Owens left an indelible mark on Northern Illinois' women's basketball program. In her freshman year, Owens averaged 13.4 points and 8.1 rebounds a game, but missed the 1986-87 season due to a knee injury. She was named team captain when she returned to the floor her sophomore year as NIU finished 14-14.

The Huskies made a big jump in Owens' junior year. NIU posted its first 20-win season in school history in 1988-89 with a 23-7 record. The following season, the Huskies finished 26-5 and made their first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history, advancing to the second round.

Owens finished her career as NIU's first 2,000-career points/1,000-career rebounds performer. She was a two-time Kodak District Four All-America (1988-89 and 1989-90), a USBWA District Four All-America (1989-90), the North Star Player of the Year (1989-90), a three-year First-Team All-NSC pick (1987-90) and a three-time Huskie captain. She averaged 21.7 points her senior year on a team that averaged a school-record 94.5 points a game.

Owens left NIU with at least 13 school records and still holds three career records, two single-season marks and three single-game records. Owens finished her career with 2,102 points, second all-time. She still holds the career record for blocked shots with 244, free throws made (466) and is tied for first in double-digit scoring streak at 68 games.

She holds the single-season records in free throws attempted and scoring among juniors with 632 points. She is tied for the single-game scoring mark with 41 points against the University of Illinois on Dec. 16, 1989. She set the single-game steals record at 11 against Western Illinois Dec. 1, 1988.

Owens made 112 career starts, had 105 career double-digit scoring games, 41 career double-digit rebound performances and 39 career double-doubles.

Owens co-captained the North squad that captured the Silver Medal at the 1986 United States Olympic Sports Festival and received an invitation to the U.S. National Team Trials in 1990. She played professionally overseas for three seasons before joining the coaching ranks at the University of Michigan (1993-95). Owens has been enshrined in the NIU Athletics Hall of Fame and the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

At NIU, she was selected by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences faculty as her graduating class commencement marshal and was named the institution's Outstanding Woman. She graduated from NIU with a bachelor's degree in communications in 1990.