West Cook News

Former Fenwick star Jade Owens has emerged as one of the top players on the Creighton women’s basketball team. 

The sophomore guard started in 28 of the team’s 34 games and averaged 28.9 minutes per game. She led the team in assists (118; 3.47 per game) and steals (33), and was second in total rebounds (163; 4.8 per game). Her .455 field goal percentage was 11th highest the Big East.

Creighton finished the 2015-2016 season tied for eighth place in the Big East with a conference record of 8-10 and an overall record of 17-18. The Blue Jays season ended with a 74-68 loss at South Dakota in the first round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament on March 16. In 28 minutes on the floor, Owens was held scoreless but made three assists. In addition, she had a steal while pulling down a game-high seven rebounds.

A four-year starter at Fenwick, Jade averaged over 19 points, five assists, four steals and five rebounds over her final two seasons; The Friars reached the state tournament in each of her four seasons. She was a two-time All-State selection by The Chicago Tribune and The Chicago Sun-Times, and she also made the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association All-State Second Team twice.

“I’ve gotten a lot of minutes and an opportunity to make a contribution to the team, so it’s exactly what I expected,” Jade recently told West Cook News. “The team dynamic is everything I really wanted it to be playing college basketball, and more.” 

Jade describes herself as the funny person on the team: she will say or do anything to make people laugh.

“I’m also really focused and hard-working in both school and basketball,” she said.

While basketball is obviously a big part of Jade’s life at the moment, she has bigger plans for the future. Academically, she is a pre-med student and aspires to be an orthopedic surgeon. 

“I would like to stay within sports and work with sports injuries -- being in basketball has really gotten me interested in this part of it,” she said. 

While at Creighton, Jade has earned Academic All-Conference accolades in the Big East, while making the dean’s list in each of her four semesters.

Jade credits the stable atmosphere growing up in River Forest with her development as a person. 

“I have close family friends -- different people who are close to me and my family,” she said.

Her parents have had an even bigger influence on her life and are her strongest role models. 

“In basketball, my dad has made a huge impact, and he’s like my second coach,” Jade said. “He’s someone I can always go to for an unbiased opinion or help with my shooting or anything. My mom has a life coach type of personality: she gives me great advice with academics -- she’s my personal cheerleader, I’d say.” 

Jade’s father played Division III basketball at Widener, and her mother played volleyball at Drake.

For Jade, the most satisfying part of her collegiate experience has been the sense of family that has developed over the past two years. 

“There is a second family here,” she said. “Whether it is my coaches or my teammates, it’s like I have a whole different support system -- a big group of best friends.” 

Jade has also found it surprising that she is so happy with so many different people in women’s basketball.

“You’d think there would be a lot of drama,” she said. “I would say we were really close friends.”