| 24 Max Owens |
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One of the most experienced players on the squad Excellent long-range shooter Showed a lot of improvement handling the ball last year as his turnovers went from 51 to 35 from a year before despite playing in five more games Has consistently been one of the top free throw shooters in the ACC Has made 81.0 percent from the line in his career (94 for 116) Has scored in double figures 18 times in his career with a career-high 23 points against UNLV in Charlotte last December and against Maryland in the 1999 ACC Tournament semifinals Has scored 20-plus points four times in his career, three times in the Charlotte Coliseum Has good size and quickness to defend the other teams top perimeter threats Has scored 539 points Scored his 500th career point in the win at NC State on Feb. 9, 2000 Field goal shooting percentage has improved each season (from .387 as a freshman to .431 as a sophomore to .490 as a junior).
JUNIOR SEASON (1999-2000)
Played in all 36 games and was sixth in scoring with 7.4 points per contest Scored in double figures nine times with highs of 23 against UNLV, 22 against Louisville and 18 against #7 Michigan State and #1 Cincinnati Was 5 for 9 from the floor, 2 for 3 in 3FG and 6 for 6 from the free throw line against the Spartans Made 8 of 13 shots from the floor and was 5 for 5 from the line against UNLV Made a career-high four three-point baskets against Cincinnati and Louisville Had 17 points and six rebounds in the win at Miami Made 6 of 10 from the field, including an acrobatic, left-handed reverse layup, and was 5 for 5 from the free throw line Hit a three-pointer from the left corner that gave Carolina a 52-50 lead with 13:19 to play in the second half of the 75-63 win over Maryland That gave UNC its first lead since the 11:59 mark of the first half, a lead Carolina would not relinquish the rest of the contest Hit critical, back-to-back three-pointers in a 32-second span in the second half of the Feb. 9 game at NC State His shots increased Carolinas lead from two points to eight as the Heels took control of the game. Owens also had a huge tip-in off an Ed Cota missed free throw with 33.2 seconds left to play to give UNC a 10-point lead and ice the victory Scored 10 points against Wake Forest on Feb. 12, his first double-figure day since scoring 14 against Clemson on Jan. 2 Scored in double figures in 9 of the first 14 games, but then scored a total of just 45 points in the next nine games However, in a three-game stretch Feb. 9-20, he scored eight (at NC State),10 (Wake Forest) and 10 (Virginia) points, averaging 9.3 ppg Hit both of his shots and scored five points in the regional semifinal win over Tennessee.
SOPHOMORE SEASON (1998-99)
Played in 31 games and averaged 7.8 points per contest Shot 43.1 percent from the field (88 for 204), 35.7 percent from three-point range (25 for 70) and 85.1 percent from the free throw line (40 for 47) Was second on the team in free throw percentage, just .03 behind Jason Capel The 25 three-pointers were the third-most on the team.
Started all three games in the ACC Tournament and posted the two best scoring performances of his career Scored 23 points against Maryland in the semifinal and had 22 against Duke in the championship game Earned first-team All-ACC Tournament honors Came into the ACC Tournament averaging 6.7 points Made 5 of 9 shots from the floor against Maryland and 6 of 13 against Duke.
Finished the season making 17 consecutive free throws Was 11 for 12 vs. Maryland in the ACC semifinal, including his last eight He was 8 for 8 from the charity stripe vs. Duke in the next game.
Was 6 for 8 from the field, including 2 for 2 from three-point range, and scored 14 points in the Tar Heels 98-64 win over Florida State on Feb. 7 Made 3 of 5 three-point attempts en route to a then-career-high 16 points in the win over Georgia Tech on Jan. 31 He scored 10 points in the first half as Carolina built a nine-point lead by intermission At Duke on Jan. 27, he scored 10 points on 4 for 5 shooting Made his only three-point attempt and also had three rebounds Was 8 for 13 (.615) from three-point range in a four-game stretch from Dec. 22 to Jan. 6 Was 3 for 4 at Georgia Tech, 2 for 3 at California, 1 for 3 vs. Clemson and 2 for 3 at Florida State Connected on two three-pointers in the second half in the win at Florida State on Jan. 6 The first came with 12:12 remaining and tied the score at 40 Nearly five minutes later and after FSU had cut UNCs lead to five points, Owens hit his second three-pointer.
Missed three games late in the season because of a left groin strain and did not return to the rotation until the regular-season finale vs. Duke.
FRESHMAN SEASON (1997-98)
Appeared in 22 games, including eight regular-season ACC contests and two in the NCAA Tournament Scored 30 points, grabbed 18 rebounds, had five assists and four steals for the season Had a season-high four points against UCLA, Chattanooga and Appalachian State Was 12 for 31 from the floor, including three for 11 from three-point range Had seven offensive rebounds.
PREP
Played his final two scholastic years at Mount Zion Christian Academy in Durham A native of Macon, Ga., he played at Central High in Macon as a freshman and sophomore Played for Coach Joel Hopkins at Mount Zion Was the MVP at Mount Zion as a junior when he averaged 26.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 3.0 steals With additional good players at Mt. Zion he did not need to score as much as a senior and averaged just over 15 points per contest Led his AAU team to a second-place finish in the national tournament in 1996 Suffered a stress fracture in his lower leg early in his senior season when he landed on a stray ball during a layup drill while playing in a tournament Missed five games due to the injury.
Owens Personality File
College Major:
African Studies
Post-school ambition:
To play in the NBA
Hobbies:
Roller skating, reading, listening to music, watching movies
People who have had
the greatest influence on my athletic career:
My family - Ms. Jackie Smith, Val Owens, James Smith
Athletes I most admire:
Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, Tiger Woods, Jerry Rice
Favorite book:
The Bible
Favorite foods:
Pasta and chicken
Favorite TV shows:
In the House, Parent Hood, Ripley
Favorite movies:
Hollow Man, The Godfather
Favorite musical performers:
DMX, Jay-Z, Tupac, R. Kelly, Biggie Smalls
My
greatest sports moment:
Making the winning basket in little league to win the championship
Interesting facts about
myself:
Im easy-going, live life to the fullest and be all I can be in anything
My favorite basketball player when I was growing up
was:
Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Bernard King
What I like most about UNC:
The love people give to me and the atmosphere
My favorite
sport other than college basketball is:
Tennis, football
The one thing I would change about college basketball is:
The politics
If I could do one thing better
it would be:
Get closer to Christ
Person in history Id most like
to meet:
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Arthur Ashe
Most interesting
thing I did this summer:
Enjoyed my family and friends
Full given
name:
Orolando Max Julian Owens
Birthdate and place of birth:
January 1, 1978, in Georgia
Parents
names:
Jackie and James Smith, Earl Harris
High school coachs
name:
Joel Hopkins
OWENS CAREER HIGHS
Points: 23 vs. Maryland (3/6/99) and UNLV (12/4/99)
Field Goals: 8 vs. UNLV (12/4/99) and Buffalo (12/7/99)
3-Point Field Goals: 4 vs. Cincinnati (12/8/99) and Louisville (12/23/99)
Free Throws: 11 vs. Maryland (3/6/99)
Rebounds: 6 vs. Virginia (1/21/99) and Miami (12/15/99)
Assists: 3 on three occasions
Steals: 3 on three occasions
MAX OWENS GAME-BY-GAME
1997-98
| Opponent | FGM-A | 3FGM-A | FTM-A | O-D-REB | A | BLK | STL | PTS |
| Middle Tennessee State | 1-4 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| California | 1-1 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-1-1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| vs. UCLA | 1-1 | 0-0 | 2-4 | 1-1-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Seton Hall | 1-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| vs. Louisville | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| vs. Chattanooga | 1-1 | 1-1 | 1-2 | 0-2-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| vs. Virginia Tech | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-2-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hampton | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-0-1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| at Georgia | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-0-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| at Bethune-Cookman | 1-4 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Georgia Tech | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2-0-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Virginia | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| at Maryland | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Appalachian State | 2-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-0-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| at NC State | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-2-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Florida State | 1-2 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-1-1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| at Duke | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| at Virginia | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0-0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Wake Forest | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| vs. NC State (ACC) | 0-3 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 1-1-2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| vs. Navy (NCAA) | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-1-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| vs. Michigan State (NCAA) | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
1998-99
| Opponent | FGM-A | 3FGM-A | FTM-A | O-D-REB | A | BLK | STL | PTS |
| Appalachian State | 3-6 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 1-1-2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| Florida International | 2-3 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0-0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Georgia | 0-3 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| at Hampton | 5-7 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2-0-2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| vs. Purdue | 3-6 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 1-1-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| vs. Stanford | 2-3 | 1-1 | 2-2 | 0-0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| at Middle Tennessee State | 1-4 | 1-2 | 2-2 | 1-1-2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| vs. Old Dominion | 1-2 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0-1-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| vs. College of Charleston | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Buffalo | 4-4 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-1-2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| UNC Charlotte | 2-4 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 1-0-1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Louisville | 3-7 | 1-3 | 3-5 | 1-0-1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| at Dartmouth | 4-8 | 0-2 | 1-1 | 1-2-3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| at Georgia Tech | 5-9 | 3-4 | 0-0 | 3-0-3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| at California | 2-8 | 2-3 | 3-4 | 2-0-2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Clemson | 3-9 | 1-3 | 1-2 | 0-1-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| at Florida State | 3-4 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 0-3-3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Maryland | 0-4 | 0-3 | 0-0 | 2-0-2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| at NC State | 1-4 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0-0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Virginia | 3-10 | 0-4 | 0-0 | 1-5-6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| at Wake Forest | 4-7 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 1-3-4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| at Duke | 4-5 | 1-1 | 1-3 | 2-1-3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Georgia Tech | 5-11 | 3-5 | 3-3 | 0-2-2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 16 |
| at Clemson | 3-10 | 0-4 | 3-3 | 1-1-2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9 |
| Florida State | 6-8 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 2-1-3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 14 |
| at Maryland | 2-7 | 0-3 | 0-0 | 1-0-1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Duke | 0-6 | 0-3 | 0-0 | 1-1-2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| vs. Georgia Tech (ACC) | 4-11 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 1-1-2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| vs. Maryland (ACC) | 5-9 | 2-3 | 11-12 | 1-3-4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 |
| vs. Duke (ACC) | 6-13 | 2-5 | 8-8 | 1-2-3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 22 |
| vs. Weber State (NCAA) | 2-11 | 1-1 | 2-2 | 2-2-4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
1999-2000
| Opponent | FGM-A | 3FGM-A | FTM-A | O-D-REB | A | BLK | STL | PTS |
| vs. Southern California | 7-13 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 0-2-2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15 |
| vs. Georgetown | 3-8 | 0-2 | 1-2 | 0-2-2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| vs. Purdue | 6-12 | 0-5 | 2-2 | 1-0-1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Michigan State | 5-9 | 2-3 | 6-6 | 3-2-5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| vs. College of Charleston | 2-6 | 00-0 | 2-2 | 2-2-4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| vs. UNLV | 8-13 | 2-4 | 5-5 | 2-3-5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 23 |
| at Buffalo | 8-14 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 1-2-3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 16 |
| vs. Cincinnati | 7-13 | 4-6 | 0-0 | 0-2-2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| Tennessee Tech | 2-5 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0-0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| at Miami | 6-10 | 0-1 | 5-5 | 2-4-6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| vs. Indiana | 1-3 | 0-2 | 7-8 | 0-1-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| at Louisville | 7-12 | 4-6 | 4-6 | 2-2-4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 22 |
| Howard | 4-5 | 1-11 | 0-0 | 0-0-0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| Clemson | 2-6 | 1-5 | 0-1 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| NC State | 2-3 | 0-1 | 3-4 | 0-0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| at Wake Forest | 2-5 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 0-0-0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| UCLA
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