Lenoir Rhyne University Hickory Elite Camp – August 3rd

Brent Owen has been named the 20th men’s basketball head coach of Lenoir-Rhyne University, Vice President for Athletics Kim Pate announced. Owen comes to Hickory from Eastern New Mexico University where he served as the men’s basketball coach since May 2020. This year, ENMU finished with a 22-9 record, the most successful season in more than three decades.

In only his third season of competition at ENMU, Owen led the program to a Lone Star Conference Tournament Championship for the first time in 31 years and the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 20 years. Competing in one of the premier conferences across Division II, the Greyhounds not only recorded their most conference wins in school history, but also led the Lone Star Conference in seven statistical categories, including field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage, free throws made, assists, rebounds, and blocks.

The Greyhounds also ranked in the top 20 in the nation in nine different statistical categories, including third in three-point percentage, fifth in fast break points, ninth in free throws made, and fourteenth in rebounds per game. They also broke the school record for points and assists, as well as conference wins in back-to-back seasons.

“When we embarked on this search, we were looking for a proven leader and coach who would inspire an exciting and bold vision for the future of our men’s basketball program,” said Pate. “Brent Owen is a program builder and leader of men. He has an impressive pedigree, having coached at the University of Southern Indiana, a top perennial championship contender in Division II. Brent is a relentless worker who cares deeply for his players and has an incredible acumen for basketball. He is a winner and is passionate about making an impact on young men’s lives.”

When Owen took over the ranks at ENMU, he initiated a full rebuild for the program that included recruiting the LSC Freshman of the Year in the 2021-22 season. In his second year, Owen led the program to a 17-win season in 2022-23, the most victories the program had seen in 19 years. In addition, the Greyhounds earned their first postseason berth in six years and achieved a 13-game home winning streak, the longest for ENMU since 1967.  Owen produced an astonishing home record of 25-4 over the past two seasons.

“My family and I could not be more excited or grateful to be joining the Lenoir-Rhyne family and the Hickory community,” said Owen. “We were looking for a great place to live where we can raise our children and a university that truly values the importance of athletics. In my conversations with Dr. Whitt and Vice President Pate it became immediately evident that they have a strong desire for Lenoir-Rhyne basketball to compete amongst the best on the national stage. With their support, I believe we can build a championship-level program just as several other Bears athletic programs have already done. I want the fans out there to know that it would be best to pick out the seats you want now, because eventually we will be selling out Shuford Arena!”

During his time at ENMU, he founded the Fast Break Club, which raised more money for the men’s basketball program in his four years compared with the 20 previous years combined. Owen’s program also dominated the classroom as his team led all men’s sports in GPA in the 2023-24 season.