Purdue head men’s basketball coach Matt Painter announced on Monday that assistant coach Jack Owens has been promoted to the level of associate head coach.
“Jack has been a vital part of our success over the last few years, and he has earned the title of associate head coach,” Painter said. “He works hard, brings great energy to the office every day and has a great rapport with our players.”
As an assistant to Painter over the last three seasons, Owens has helped lead the Boilermakers to an 82-24 (.774) record and three NCAA Tournament berths, including a pair of Sweet 16 trips.
Owens saw E’Twaun Moore, one of his top protégés during his tenure in West Lafayette, establish himself as one of three players in Big Ten history to compile 2,000 points, 500 rebounds and 400 assists. In June, Moore was chosen in the second round of the NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics.
“I’m extremely thankful for this opportunity to grow professionally,” Owens said. “My time spent at Purdue has been great so far, and I have no doubt that we’ll be able to keep moving forward with the success we’ve had over the last few years.”
The Indianapolis native began his coaching career as an assistant at Howard Community College during the 2000-01 season, serving as the team’s interim head coach for a portion of the campaign. He spent the 2001-02 season at Barton County Community College and the 2002-03 campaign at his alma mater, Eastern Illinois, as an assistant coach before joining Painter at Southern Illinois in 2003.
Owens helped Painter lead SIU to the 2004 NCAA Tournament, and aided Chris Lowery in taking the Salukis to the Big Dance three more times after Painter departed for Purdue. Combining Owens’ time at Southern Illinois and Purdue, he has coached in the postseason in eight-consecutive seasons, reaching the NCAA Tournament on seven of those occasions.
After two seasons at Howard Community College, Owens played two years at Eastern Illinois, one of which for a staff that featured Painter as an assistant coach. As a senior in 1998-99, Owens averaged 11.7 points and 6.5 assists per game to earn honorable mention All-OVC honors.
Purdue will take the floor against Northern State on Nov. 1 in the first of its two exhibition games. The Boilermakers will open regular-season play against Northern Illinois on Nov. 11 as part of Mackey Celebration Weekend.