Ryan Owens 2024-25 Men's Basketball Staff
Assistant Coach
Glenn & Stacey Murphy Head Men’s Basketball Coach Micah Shrewsberry rounded out his coaching staff at Notre Dame with the hiring of Ryan Owens at the end of May of 2023. A leader, a developer and relationship builder, Owens is an Indiana basketball guy through and through. He brings over two decades of experience as a player, business manager, college coach and AAU coach. Owens begins year two with the Irish for the 2024-25 season.
“Ryan is an Indiana guy and understands what basketball means in this state. His relationships with High School and AAU coaches throughout the country will make him a valuable asset to our team. He is a relationship builder who brings passion and energy on a daily basis. His experiences as a player, coach, and business owner will be really helpful as he helps mentor our student-athletes during their Notre Dame journey,” Shrewsberry stated.
Establishing a culture with one of the youngest teams in the ACC that was pieced together was the highest priority for Coach Owens and the rest of the staff. It was a program that returned 1.6 percent of scoring from a year prior and was projected to finish last in the ACC. The result was a Notre Dame squad hitting its stride in the final month of play. The Irish doubled its ACC win total from the previous year, finishing 7-13, which included wins over Virginia and Clemson. In fact, the Irish were in 18 games decided by 10 points or less, giving every league opponent its best shot.
Owens’ path started as a student-athlete at the University of Southern Indiana where he was Team Captain and Defensive Player of the Year. He later went on to earn his Master’s at Indiana State University.
“I’ve been in the basketball business for a long time, there aren’t too many more respected coaches in the industry than Coach Shrews. So when Coach called me, it was a no-brainer,” Owens said. “I believe in Coach Shrews and love what he’s about as a person. It’s an unbelievable opportunity for me and my family to represent such a highly respected academic institution like Notre Dame that has such a rich basketball history.”
Owens served as an Assistant Coach at DePauw University from 2002-05. There, he spearheaded the recruiting efforts and also managed all areas of player and program development. In his first year, DePauw won the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship.
Owens has had his pulse on the Indiana high school basketball scene ever since. He has served coaching stints with the Indiana Elite AAU program out of Indianapolis and the Indy Heat EYBL 17U squad.
He also assisted countless high school basketball athletes in continuing their dreams at the collegiate level and securing athletic scholarships. Case in point, when he created the Sneakers for Santa Basketball event which showcased the state’s top recruits. And when Owens wasn’t mentoring the Indiana youth, he was excelling in other venues. For example, when he served as the Adidas Group manager of NBA Team Services.