Talented and underrated wing Damarius Owens, who received a scholarship offer from Syracuse basketball last month, continues to showcase his skills on the AAU circuit.
The 6-foot-7 guard/forward, who hails from Upstate New York, caught the attention of various national analysts and scouts last month when Owens shined for the Albany City Rocks in Nike’s EYBL league during NCAA live periods when college coaches could watch high-school prospects in person.
As we noted in a column, in two games alone during those April live periods, Owens averaged 23 points per contest while connecting on a strong clip from the field, from beyond the arc, and at the free-throw line.
More recently, over the Memorial Day weekend, Owens and his teammates with the Albany City Rocks were in Louisville, Ky., for another EYBL session on the grassroots-basketball tour.
Syracuse basketball coaches got involved with Damarius Owens early on in his recruitment.
During one AAU encounter in Louisville versus the Waukesha, Wis.-based Team Herro, Owens proved spectacular.
According to a tweet from Hoop Major Recruiting, he registered 18 points, three rebounds and three blocks, while hitting on 7-of-9 from the field and 2-of-2 from 3-point land.
2024 Wing Damarius Owens (@DamariusOwens1) with an efficient performance for City Rocks (@TheCityRocks) vs. Team Herro.
— Hoop Major Recruiting (@RecruitingHM) May 29, 2022
Recorded 18 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 blocks.
Shot 78% (7-9 FG) from the field and 100% (2-2 3FG) from beyond the arc.
(Photo via @dfritzphotos) pic.twitter.com/DVdpPm7hrY
Per statistics on theseasonticket.com, in a second affair, Owens had nine points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field and 1-of-2 from deep. In a third game, he logged five points, three rebounds and one assist in 15 minutes of action.
In a piece published on Monday, we highlighted a handful of Orange recruiting targets who have fared well in Louisville. One of those players is 2024 guard Kayvaun Mulready.
The 6-foot-4 Mulready, out of the Worcester Academy in Worcester, Mass., also runs with the Albany City Rocks and has reportedly garnered interest from Syracuse basketball.
Getting back to Owens, he revealed via Twitter on April 10 that he had landed an offer from the ‘Cuse coaching staff. According to recruiting services and his Twitter page, Owens’ other offers at this juncture include from Creighton, Cincinnati, UMass, Siena and UMBC.
In the 2021-22 stanza, Owens played for the Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio. He previously suited up for the Aquinas Institute in Rochester, N.Y.
Come mid-June, college coaches will be able to start making direct contact with prospects in the 2024 cycle. I have no doubt that Owens’ list of scholarship offers will grow in the near future.
What’s more, as the primary recruiting services update and expand their national rankings for this class, from my perspective Owens should get rated as a four-star player in 2024 and likely within the top-100 overall, if not higher.