Then & Now: Dapreis Owens

Then & Now: Dapreis Owens

Compiled By Dave Brandon

(Photo Courtesy NU Media Relations)

Dapreis

Owens played for Nebraska from 1989-1992, and was part

of two NCAA Tournament teams. The 6’8” Owens started

games in three different seasons, and as a senior, led

the Huskers in field goal percentage (55%).

Owens recently joined HHC for our

latest Sunday edition of “Then & Now.”

HHC: Thanks a lot for

taking the time to join us!

DO: Yeah man, thanks

a lot for calling. I got your message awhile back and am

glad you called back, I’ve been looking forward to this!

HHC: As have we.

First off, what brought you to Nebraska from Mansfield,

Ohio, where you averaged 27 PPG and 14 RPG as a senior?

DO: Well, I always

liked the Big 8 conference, and remember watching

Oklahoma in the national championship game. I just had

always been a big fan of the Big 8. And then Lynn

Mitchem was the assistant coach who recruited me most,

although Coach Nee also came up a couple of times. But

yeah, I chose Nebraska over Wisconsin, Cleveland State,

Minnesota, and I think Tennessee, if I recall correctly.

HHC: Tell us your

initial impression of Danny Nee, who is one of the most

colorful figures in college basketball history.

DO: (Laughs) Well, my

initial impression was that he was very outspoken, and

good with words. He was a motivator, and a problem

solver.

HHC: As a freshman at Nebraska, you guys

finished 17-16, and made the NIT. Individually, you

played in 29 games, and came up big in the NIT game

versus Ohio State, where you scored 18 points and

grabbed 7 boards. What do you remember most about your

first season at Nebraska?

DO: I remember a lot

of great players, like Eric Johnson, Pete Manning, those

guys, and watching them, and just trying to fit in with

the chemistry of things and what Nee was doing. And as I

look back, after my freshman year, I almost wish I had

redshirted because of the minutes. My time as a freshman

wasn’t enjoyable at times.

HHC: Was it tough being so far from home,

and which teammates did you immediately bond with?

DO: Yeah, it was tough. I was a homebody

and missed it, and still live here now. But, I bonded

with my roommate, who was Lewis Geter, and we had known

each other previously. And Clifford Scales and I had a

close relationship, Carl Hayes of course, Ray

Richardson, pretty much all of those guys. Unfortunately

I don’t really talk to them anymore, at least not on a

regular basis, although Lewis and I communicate maybe

twice a month, he’s in Virginia now.

HHC: Your sophomore season in 1989-1990

was good for you individually, as you averaged 8.4 PPG

and 4.4 RPG while scoring in double figures 11 times.

However, as a team, you guys finished a dismal 10-18.

How disappointing was that season?

DO: We had a horrible season, and it was

really frustrating. But, the talent was there, we just

couldn’t put it together. It was frustrating my

sophomore season. Just losing repeatedly was just tough,

game after game after game, and losing convincingly to

other Big 8 teams, and looking like we couldn’t even

compete. That carried over to practices, off the court,

etc. That was tough.

HHC: Did Coach Nee make life a living

hell?

DO: Yeah, pretty

much. (Laughs) It was a tough year for the players,

coaching staff, and basketball program as a whole. We

didn’t do a good job of filling the stands at home, so

you know we also didn’t on the road.

HHC: Before we talk

about the magical year of 1990-1991, we need you to be

honest. Prior to the start of the season, did you have

any idea that you guys would be as good as you were?

DO: Like I said, we knew we had the

talent, but it was a chemistry thing my sophomore year.

We couldn’t get the chemistry going, and the same

nucleus of guys my sophomore year made it happen in that

90-91 season with a few additions, like Moody, Farmer,

and people like that. But it was a chemistry thing, and

once we bonded, it was hard to stop.

HHC: 1990-1991 saw you guys make the

school’s second NCAA tournament appearance, as you went

26-8 and finished the year in the top ten of some polls.

Talk about that amazing year and what sticks out?

DO: Yeah, it was an amazing year. It was

like we turned the whole program around overnight. I

remember putting in the hard work before the season

started, and seeing the team psychologist, all the stuff

we did in the preseason to prepare. Then, we had the

fluctuation of starting positions and rotations, and

trying to find the right combinations. I sprained my

ankle that year, and I missed like 6 games. But, it was

a magic carpet ride once we got to Kansas City.

HHC: What made you

guys need to see a team psychologist prior to the

season?

DO: We needed a team

psychologist for team relations. It was another way to

try and find chemistry, and I think Jack Stark was his

name, and he did a good job, as far as getting guys to

open up.

HHC: Jamar Johnson said that he thinks the

success of that team can be traced to the fact that you

guys had lost so bad the year before, and were just sick

and tired of losing. Is there truth to that?

DO: Most definitely,

most definitely. We were sick and tired of losing, and I

got tired of hearing the basketball jokes, and the

basketball program being so weak. So yeah, we hated

losing and simply worked harder.

HHC: Your senior season at Nebraska was

1991-1992, and as a team, you again made the NCAA

Tournament, as you finished 19-10. How gratifying was it

to end your career on a high note?

DO: It was extremely gratifying. I was

able to get there back to back years, and my senior year

was probably my best, as far as playing wise. And it was

just so much fun, it was like it was supposed to be. I

have no regrets as far as playing basketball at the

University of Nebraska goes, especially my senior year.

HHC: What are your favorite memories of

Nebraska, both on and off the court?

DO: On the court, I think it would have to

be… Well, being the Ameritas Classic MVP. That was a fun

weekend. And off the court, it’s probably just the

friends I made out there. I still keep in contact with a

few people out there, and the campus experience was a

lot of fun for me for my four years.

HHC: A lot of people

say that those early 90’s teams choked come NCAA

Tournament team, and were selfish. What is your response

to that?

DO: I really believe

we should have beaten Xavier the first year. The second

year was Connecticut, and I think they were much more

talented than we were. So, we were outmatched with them.

But the first year, we could have done a few things that

could have gotten us a “W.” I think it came down to some

X’s and O’s types of things, at least to me. A lack of

certain calls and certain combinations and rotations

were the main reason that I think we lost like that.

HHC: When was the last time you were back

in Lincoln, and do you get a chance to follow the

current team much?

DO: I was in Lincoln about two or three

years ago. I played with Henry T. “The Legend” Buchanan

at a tournament in Hastings, and I try to follow the

program as much as I can, I’m a Cornhusker. As a matter

of fact, I’ve got a big huge, huge wager with a friend

here on that Michigan/Nebraska Alamo Bowl game, so we’ll

see what happens.

HHC: And before we get to what you’re

doing today, can you give us a funny Danny Nee story or

two to add to our growing collection?

DO: The thing that we used to laugh with

him about is that he would always tell you almost

exactly what you wanted to hear. If you had NBA dreams,

he would give you a person in the NBA and compare you to

them. For me, he used to tell me, “Hey Dapreis, you’re

just like Mark Aguire. You’ve got that body, and you can

get to the NBA.” And after awhile, he just stopped

saying it (Laughs).

HHC: (Laughs) At least he didn’t tell you

that you reminded him of Kurt Rambis! Hey, what has

Dapreis Owens been doing since 1992, and what is he up

to today?

DO: Well, after I

left Nebraska, I had a pretty good career in Europe and

South America. Most of my career was in South America,

where I played from 1994-2000. But, I played in places

like Paris, Venezuela, Australia for a year, Uruguay,

Argentina, so I was really a world traveler. I was

enjoying it and ended up having a stress fracture,

didn’t know it, came back to Lincoln to get it looked

at, and they fixed it for me. And I played one more

spot, Chile, and it was bothering me so much that I

stopped, and my plan was to rehabilitate it some more

and then keep playing. In the meantime, they gave me a

teaching job to teach special education here in

Mansfield, so I’ve been teaching special education for

the last seven years.

For awhile, I also coached

basketball at the high school level, and now at a local

college called OSU-Mansfield, where I run the women’s

programs. We are the Mansfield Lady Mavericks.

HHC: Nice. Dapreis, thanks a lot for

taking the time to join us. We’ve set you up an e-mail

account at

[email protected] , and are hoping

you’ll take some e-mails from Husker fans. Are you cool

with that?

DO: Most definitely, that’d be great. And

thanks a lot for having me, this was fun. I’ll have to

get some contact information for some of my old

teammates from you.<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">