For junior guard Skye Owen there is one expectation this year: “make it to March Madness.”
As a freshman on the St. John’s Women’s Basketball team, Owen got a taste of what madness March can bring. In the 2022-23 season, led by Kadaja Bailey, Jayla Everett and current Director of Basketball Operations Danielle Patterson, the Red Storm made it through the NCAA First Four game against Purdue University before falling to No. 6 North Carolina in the first round.
In her sophomore season, the team fell short of that NCAA tournament opportunity after losing a gutsy Big East Tournament quarterfinal game against Georgetown University in which Owen recorded six points in 27 minutes of play against the Hoyas.
The team went on to compete in the Inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament (WBIT) instead — where they eventually fell to Toledo in the second round.
With a taste of glory, Owen is ready to make it back to that post-season berth.
In her freshman season, the Staten Island native saw 13 games worth of action with an average of 1.2 points per game in 3.5 average minutes played.
As a sophomore, Owen made four starts and appeared in all 33 games for the Red Storm. She averaged 5.4 points per game, with 1.9 assists and 1.4 steals. She was a staple from the free-throw line, shooting 76.9 percent from the charity stripe last season.
Under the wings of star guard Unique Drake, Owen came off of the bench for most of the 2023-24 season. As a utilized “sixth-woman” she has come to embrace her role and do what is best for the team.
“It depends on who we play, and how the team is looking,” Owen said of her role as a potential starter. “It’s a new team so we’re just gonna go into each game looking to win.”
“Whatever is best for the team,” she continued at St. John’s Media Day on Oct. 15.
At the team’s 80-48 exhibition win against Pace University on Oct. 21, Owen recorded 10 points, one steal and one rebound for the Red Storm as their first player off the bench.
Owen regarded her “playmaking” as one of her biggest attributes for the team. In a 67-55 win against Xavier last season, Owen put up nine points and collected five rebounds off the bench. Her ability to create open space on the floor and find her teammates is something that Head Coach Joe Tartamella has continued to praise since she arrived in Queens..
“Without [Owen’s] contributions today I don’t know if the game is in our favor,” Tartamella said postgame. “She was terrific.”
After the game, Tartamella went on to describe all of the things you need from her as guard to bring St. John’s success — momentum changing plays and controlling herself through the game.That mid-season game started a shift for Owen as a physical presence on the court. She finished the year averaging 22.6 minutes per contest.
Owen is a staple of this St. John’s Women’s Basketball team and is poised to step up in her junior season as such on the court. The road to March Madness begins when the Red Storm opens up their regular season against Saint Peter’s University on Nov. 4 in Carnecessa Arena.
