COACHING RESPONSIBILITY: Associate Head Coach
YEAR AT UNLV: Fifth
BIRTHDAY: July 8
EDUCATION: Master’s Degree (University of Central Oklahoma, ’09)
HOMETOWN: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
FAMILY: Wife - Natalie; Daughters – Olivia, Amelia
RESIDENCE: Las Vegas, NV
ATHLETIC CAREER
- Southwestern Christian University men’s basketball Hall of Fame inductee
- The 2008 NCCAA Pete Maravich Player of the Year
- The program’s all-time leading scorer: 2,802 points
COLLEGIATE COACHING CAREER
2020-present: UNLV (associate head coach)
2019-20: North Texas (assistant coach)
2018-19: Tulsa (recruiting coordinator)
2015-18: Yale (assistant coach)
2013-15: Oklahoma (video coordinator)
2010-13: Mid-America Christian University (women’s basketball head coach)
2008-10: Oklahoma City University (men’s basketball assistant coach)
COACHING HIGHLIGHTS
Roman Owen has spent the past 16 years climbing the ranks from an NAIA men’s basketball assistant coach at Oklahoma City University to associate head coach at UNLV.
During his journey, the Oklahoma City native, has worked with many of the most admired people in women’s basketball, including Lindy La Rocque, the current UNLV head coach, and women’s basketball Hall of Famer and former head coach at Oklahoma, Sherri Coale.
UNLV success has been rapidly achieved in the staff’s four years. It's evident in the numbers. Helping with all the offensive schemes, the Lady Rebels have increased the program’s points per game in each successive season. The staff inherited a team that averaged 60.1 points per game and by the close of 2024 the program averaged 79 points per game. The success is clear in the continued winning. Over the four seasons with the program, the Lady Rebels own a 102-22 overall record going 63-9 in conference play. In 2023, UNLV went 31-3 overall and 18-0 in conference play. The 31 wins was the most in program history. UNLV is one of only two teams to go undefeated in league play in the history of the Mountain West. In 2022, 2023, and 2024 the Lady Rebels captured the Mountain West regular season championship and the tournament title and received the NCAA Tournament automatic bid in three seasons. UNLV became the first program in Mountain West history to claim the tournament and regular season title in three consecutive seasons. UNLV had not been to the NCAA Tournament in over 20 years before the 2022 season. In 2023, UNLV reached the AP Top 25 Poll for the first time since 1994. The Lady Rebels stayed in the poll four weeks in a row finishing at No. 21 in the country. In 2024, the Lady Rebels came into the season receiving votes for the first time in 19 years. UNLV was back in the AP Top 25 Poll reaching as high as No. 20 and appeared in the poll for five straight weeks.
Before coming to UNLV, Owen was an assistant coach at the University of North Texas. With the Mean Green he coordinated all recruiting activities and set all offensive game plans. The team’s 65.6 points per game was the most the program experienced since the 2012-2013 season.
At Tulsa, he served as the recruiting coordinator for the Golden Hurricane. He directed all defensive schemes holding opponents to 63.4 points per game which was the program’s best since the 2012-2013 season.
Owen spent three years as an assistant coach at Yale. In the 2017-2018 season the team won 19 games which was the most in the program’s history. The season was capped off by winning the WBI Championship becoming the first Ivy League women’s basketball team to win a national postseason tournament.
From 2013 to 2015, he worked at Oklahoma as the video coordinator. There he assisted with day-to-day scouting and inspirational leadership for the program. Both years the Sooners reached the NCAA Tournament.
At the age of 25, Owen became the head coach at Mid-America Christian University. He spent three years leading the program. The program experienced success such as defeating nationally ranked #20 Lubbock Christian University, winning an NCCAA Regional Championship, and qualifying for the NCCAA National Tournament in 2011.
It was at Oklahoma City University with the men’s basketball program where he began his career. He helped lead the program to a 32-26 record in those two years with an appearance in the NAIA National Tournament in 2010.
Recruiting and Player Development
Mid-America Christian University:
Kourtni Williams
- 2013 NAIA All-American
- Led the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) in scoring at 17.2 ppg
- Finished third in the SAC in rebounding grabbing 8.2 rpg
- In 2020 was named the Player of the Decade for the program
Yale:
Tamara Simpson
- 2017 and 2018 Defensive Player of the Year
- 2018 Second Team All-Ivy
- The Ivy League’s all-time steals leader with 362
- Top ten in program history in scoring with 1,275 points
Roxy Barahman
- 2019 and 2020 First Team All-Ivy
- Fourth in program history in scoring with 1,513 points
UNLV:
Desi-Rae Young
-2024 NCAA Division I All-American Honorable Mention Team
-2022 and 2024 Mountain West Conference Player of the Year
-2022, 2023, and 2024 First Team All-Conference
-2023 MVP of the Conference Tournament
-2022, 2023, and 2024 All-Mountain West Defensive Team
-2021 Freshman of the Year
-Finished her career with 2,017 points and 1,081 rebounds which ranks second and fourth respectively in program history
- One of two student-athletes in Lady Rebels history to mark 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds
Kiara Jackson:
-2022 Freshman of the Year in the Mountain West Conference
-2023 Sixth Woman of the Year
-2024 First Team All-Conference
-2024 #1 in the country in assists to turnover ratio at 3.49
Amarachi Kimpson:
-2024 Freshman of the Year in the Mountain West Conference
-2024 Sixth Woman of the Year
Essence Booker:
-2022 and 2023 First Team All-Conference in the Mountain West
-2022 MVP of the conference tournament
