Purdue Basketball: Jack Owens Named New Head Coach at Miami (Ohio)

We all knew this was a possibility. Jack Owens has been with Purdue for nine seasons holding the title of associate head coach for the last six. That’s a long time to be the #1 assistant on a B1G team. Word is that Owens had turned down jobs in years past because he wanted to wait for his daughter to finish high school before uprooting the family. I commend him for that.

During Owens nine year run at Purdue the team averaged just over 23 wins per year and went to three Sweet 16s. Owens was also a top notch recruiter who had his hands in all aspects. We wish Coach Owens nothing but the best in the future.

This means a couple things for Purdue. First, it allows the Matt Painter coaching tree to grow and allows Purdue fans to watch and see if Owens could be a possible replacement down the line should Painter retire, be fired, or leave for another job. Second, it means there’s an opening on Purdue’s staff. There may be more than one. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Owens scoop up video coordinator Kenny Lowe and take him to Miami (Ohio) with him as an assistant coach. Lowe has made no bones about the fact that he wants to be a coach and this would be a great step for him.

As Purdue looks to fill the open coaching position you might also see Greg Gary get a promotion to Associate Head Coach. He will more than likely be the next guy on staff to get a head coaching job. Purdue will cast a wide net as they look for someone who can build on the recruiting momentum Painter and his staff have built. It could be someone with Purdue ties or someone average guys like us don’t expect or know. Either way it adds a wrinkle to what was already going to be an interesting off-season for Purdue Basketball.