On Jan. 4 against Mount Miguel High school, senior and Varsity Basketball team Captain and shooting guard, power ford and small ford, A. Owens received the honor of reaching a total of 1,000 career points earned throughout his time playing in high school. Owens dedicates himself to perfecting his skills such as: passing, defending and running . He goes into depth on how teammates inspire him as a player.
“My teammates inspire me to always keep working because they are all good at one specific thing. Whether it would be hustle, or them being good passers, really good defenders or knowing how to run the floor,” A.Owens said. “When they are good at something I try to learn from that and add it to my game.”
Owens enjoys collaborating with his teammates because they help each other improve. His team’s support shines when big accomplishments are made, such as reaching 1,000 career points. Owens shares how his friends and family reacted to his achievement.
“It was a blessing for sure and something that I have been talking to my mom and sister [about] for a long time, [even] since before I was in high school,” Owens said. “My mom and sister were proud of me and my teammates. I just want to thank [my teammates because] they’re the ones who [pass] me the ball [on the court] so they were happy for me as well.”
With his family and friends being proud and supportive of him, Owens was extremely grateful for this accomplishment. He has been working towards this since the beginning of high school, showing his ongoing progress throughout the years. His consistency in achieving this goal is shown in his performance in games and in practices throughout the years that he’s been on the basketball team.
“I achieved a thousand career points by just staying consistent. I [only] played six games as a freshman so from sophomore year, junior and senior year I just stayed aggressive and hungry [with my shots, passes and points] to try to accomplish that goal,” A. Owens said.
Owens always tries to stay ambitious and driven in basketball, hence his laser focus throughout his high school sports career. Through his unrelenting drive, constant improvements and precision in his years on the team. Varsity Boys Basketball Head coach Stevan Curry elaborates on A. Owen’s work ethic in practices and games.
“[A. Owens] consistently comes to every practice and game on time and does not miss anything. He is very dependable,” Curry said. “His consistent work ethic has led him to this point, working on his body to be healthy and learning different ways to score has led him to the 1,000 point mark.”
Curry recognizes that A.Owens is a very well rounded player. His attention to detail on the court allows him to score points and block the opposing team’s shots efficiently. A.Owen’s mom, Paula Owens, shares her perspective of her son’s performance on the court.
“A. Owens is a good three-point shooter as well as an underestimated rebounder,” P. Owens said. “[Furthermore] in my opinion, when A. Owens plays basketball, he focuses on [keeping] his opponent from scoring and completely shutting down their game.”
Owens attributes her son’s success to his dad who taught him many skills. Which demonstrates the lasting mentorship that A. Owen’s dad passed on to him from his past experiences in Basketball. She speaks on how A. Owen’s dad motivates their son.
“[A. Owens’ dad] would take A.Owens to different basketball camps as well as have him do extra training sessions,” P. Owens said. “Being a former high school basketball player, A.Owens’ dad would also point out things he needed to work on after his games, as well as what he did right during the games.”
Owens always shows support for her son at his games. With the constructive feedback his father gives him, A. Owens applies the advice to do better on the next game going forward. Owens also gives his teammates advice on certain plays or shots. Senior, teammate and A.Owens friend since the fourth grade, Isaiah Diaz points out how A.Owens keeps the team at ease.
“A. Owens [encourages] someone [if they are feeling] down about their shot [by telling] them that it is fine and you can always shoot another one,” Diaz said. “[Another piece of advice I got from him was] that our hard work has you accomplish what you want to accomplish.”
Diaz values his friend and teammates’ advice. Since, it helps him be better as a player due to the positive energy his teammates bring to the court and at practice. A. Owens shares his advice to players in different sports.
“I would say never be satisfied. I am at a thousand right now but you need to have the right mindset. As far as me being at a thousand has always been the goal, I want a thousand and five points so you always gotta stay hungry with it,” A.Owens said.
Paula Owens • Feb 20, 2025 at 4:14 pm
Thank you for featuring my son, AO, in this article! I’m so proud of all he’s accomplished. I look forward to seeing him continue doing what he loves in college as well! Good job, Bud!