COACHING RESPONSIBILITY: Associate Head Coach
YEAR AT UNLV: Sixth
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
With a relentless commitment to growth, hard work, and developing players both on and off the court, Roman Owen brings energy and a tireless work ethic to each program he works with. Respected for his drive for excellence, Roman Owen has spent the past 17 years climbing the ranks from an NAIA Men’s basketball assistant coach at Oklahoma City University to associate head coach at the University of Nevada Las Vegas.
Hailing from Oklahoma City, he has built his career alongside some of the most admired people in women’s basketball. This includes Lindy La Rocque- current head coach at UNLV, and women’s basketball Hall of Famer and former head coach at the University of Oklahoma, Sherri Coale.
During Owen’s time at UNLV, the Lady Rebels have consistently grown, accumulating strong wins and competing at a championship level. The success is reflected in the team’s consistency. Over five seasons, the Lady Rebels have earned an incredible 128-30 overall record, including an impressive 79-11 record in conference play. In 2023, UNLV earned a record-setting 31 wins, and is one of only two teams to go undefeated in league play in the history of the Mountain West Conference. In 2022, 2023, and 2024, the Lady Rebels captured the Mountain West regular season and tournament championships, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament each year. Through this accomplishment, UNLV became the first program in Mountain West history to claim the tournament and regular season title in three consecutive seasons. Prior to this, UNLV had not been to the NCAA Tournament in over 20 years. In 2023, UNLV reached the Associated Press Top 25 Poll for the first time since 1994. The Lady Rebels stayed in the poll for four consecutive weeks and finished at No. 21 in the country. In 2024, the Lady Rebels again received national attention, and appeared in the AP Top 25 Poll for five straight weeks, rising as high as No. 20- the program’s highest ranking in nearly 30 years. In 2025, The Lady Rebels captured their fourth consecutive regular season championship. They also added another milestone by earning the program’s first postseason win in more than 20 years with an opening round victory in the WBI.
Under Owen’s leadership, 2025 promises to be a defining year for the Lady Rebels as the program aims to increase win totals, claim championships, and continue building a strong culture rooted in authenticity, accountability, and action.
Before coming to UNLV, Owen was an assistant coach at the University of North Texas during the 2019-2020 season. With the Mean Green, he coordinated all recruiting activities- from talent evaluation, to relationship building, to on-campus visits. He also set all offensive game plans- designing and implementing strategies that led to the team’s 65.6 points per game- the most the program experienced since the 2012-2013 season.
Previously, Owen served as the recruiting coordinator for the University of Tulsa’s Golden Hurricane during the 2018-2019 season. Known for his meticulous preparation and in-depth data gathering, he was a key contributor to building the team’s defensive schemes, helping the team hold opponents to 63.4 points per game, which was the program’s best since the 2012-2013 season. This laid an important foundation for future growth.
Owen spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Yale, where he worked to guide the team towards historic success. In the 2017-2018 season, the Bulldogs won 19 games- 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 served as the video coordinator for the University of Oklahoma. This role included assisting with day-to-day scouting and providing inspirational leadership for the program, which helped contribute to the team’s competitive edge. During his tenure, the Sooners appeared back-to-back in the NCAA Tournament.
At the age of 25, Owen was named head coach at Mid-America Christian University, where he led the program for three years. During this time, he not only guided the team to notable success —including a triumph over nationally ranked #20 Lubbock Christian University, winning an NCCAA Regional Championship, and qualifying for the NCCAA National Tournament in 2011— but also laid a strong foundation for his future leadership. His experience honed his ability to help with future programs while reinforcing the core values he and his staff embraced at MACU: how you do anything is how you do everything, approaching each day with great attitude, energy, and effort, and committing to compete with excellence in every area.
Owen began his career at Oklahoma City University with the men’s basketball program. He played a key role in leading the program to a 32-26 record over two seasons. This was highlighted by an appearance in the 2010 NAIA National Tournament.
Recruiting and Player Development
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 and 2025 First Team All-Conference
-2024 #1 in the country in assists to turnover ratio at 3.49
-2025 #1 in the country for a second year in a row in assists to turnover ratio at 3.69
Meadow Rowland:
-2025 Freshman of the Year in the Mountain West Conference
-2025 Sixth Woman of the Year
Essence Booker:
-2022 and 2023 First Team All-Conference in the Mountain West Conference
-2022 MVP of the conference tournament
Amarachi Kimpson:
-2024 Freshman of the Year in the Mountain West Conference
-2024 Sixth Woman of the Year
-2025 First Team All-Conference
Yale:
Roxy Barahman
- 2019 and 2020 First Team All-Ivy
- Fourth in program history in scoring with 1,513 points
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
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
