Damarius Owens looked different in his first start for the Marquette men’s basketball team.
Most obvious, the sophomore forward was forced to wear a clunky mask in the Golden Eagles’ 76-60 victory at Georgetown. The headgear was needed after Owens caught an unintentional blow to the nose from St. John’s big man Zuby Ejiofor in MU’s previous game.
“It was a challenge at first,” Owens said of playing in the mask. “Practicing with it, getting shots up, going through practice with it, I feel like that’s helped me a lot just staying focused.
“But it’s not bad. I feel like a lot of great players have worn it and played really well with it.”
Owens scored 10 points in the first half against the Hoyas while starting in place of the injured Royce Parham. So he might want to keep wearing the mask against DePaul (15-13 overall, 7-10 Big East) on March 1 at Fiserv Forum and maybe even after he doesn’t need it anymore like Richard Hamilton did with the Detroit Pistons in the early 2000s.
Then again, Owens might not need any good-luck totems because of the other thing about him that is standing out on the court with the Golden Eagles (10-18, 5-12). The 6-foot-7 versatile wing is playing much more confidently than he was at the beginning of the season.
His playing time waxed and waned through early January, with Owens sometimes looking lost on defense. He didn’t play at all in a loss to Oklahoma on Nov. 28 in Chicago.
But MU head coach Shaka Smart stuck with Owens and now there is hope that Owens can be a part of MU’s core for the future alongside fellow sophomore Parham, and freshmen Nigel James Jr. and Adrien Stevens.
Where Owens has really affected games has been as the defender at the top of MU’s full-court zone defense. That’s a spot that former MU standout Olivier-Maxence Prosper, now with the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies, thrived in.
Prosper needed some time to figure out how to use his athletic gifts to affect games when he was at MU. Owens is going through that process now. Twelve of Owens’ 17 steals this season have come since Jan. 13.
“Coach [Smart] and just watching film has really allowed me to see that when I’m low and I have my wingspan out all the way, I feel like I’m really dangerous,” Owens said. “Being at the top of that press, really, I think allows me to bring out my advantages as a defender.
“Getting those deflections are most important. It brings energy to our team. So I’m trying to do it every single time.”
Smart pointed out something else about Owens that isn’t easily seen.
“The more present you are, when you’re Damarius Owens, the more athletic you are,” Smart said. “The more aggressive you are.
“The more sense of urgency you have. I know that sounds simple, but if your mind is a half-step in the past or a half-step in the future, then you don’t have a 37-, 38-inch vertical jump anymore like he has.
“I thought he played with really good presence. And he knew what was coming next, for the most part. He wasn’t caught by surprise by plays. That’s happened in the past with him as a young player. He’s still on a growth process to get to the point where he’s the most ready and urgent player out there.”
Owens has become an important player for MU. Even a mask can’t hide that.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Damarius Owens showing why he could be big part of Marquette’s future
Reporting by Ben Steele, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
