Prospect Profile: Owen Koonce (2020)

<p>Perhaps more than any other player in Colorado’s 4A classification, Centaurus junior Owen Koonce’s stock has been rising at an almost alarming rate.</p> <p>In postgame interviews, opposing coaches have referred to him as “special” after watching him navigate and often wreck their Koonce-centric game plans. During the games, Koonce is a terror in just about every way an individual player can be. While the Warriors are huddling or practicing, he’s a glue guy.</p> <p>With other coaches singing the young man's praises, Centaurus head coach Travis Maron can’t help but gush about his junior star when given the opportunity.</p> <p>“He’s athletic as can be, he loves the game and he’s a gym rat,” Maron said. “He’s already good but he really wants to be better, always. Owen is coachable, he works hard and he doesn’t get too high or low from an emotional standpoint. He’s steady. He continues to grow from a basketball IQ standpoint and as he continues to improve, he has a high ceiling for sure.</p> <p>“When your best player is your hardest worker, that’s a great thing to have.”</p> <p>Koonce, who currently stands at 6-foot-4 but could grow another inch or two, battled injuries through the early portion of his sophomore season. Once he recovered, he came on strong through the final month of the 2017-18 campaign and averaged 25.8 points in the Warriors’ last five games. Those games included a pair of postseason contests.</p> <p>So far this winter, Koonce averages 18.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.2 steals and nearly a block per game. He shoots 54 percent from the field and 37 percent from 3-point range, and does it all as the focus of each opponents’ strategy.</p> <p>Koonce is a major reason the Warriors find themselves ranked in the top 10 by the CHSAANow.com poll. But what impresses Maron the most is his young stud’s ability to approach each game as it develops.</p> <p>“He can get his own shot,” Maron said. “That’s always a quality coaches are looking for and he definitely doesn’t need others to do that for him. But he’s also unselfish and he wants to do other things to help his team. When teams are trying to take his scoring out of it, he does those other things that help our team win. He’s also not afraid of those moments when I challenge him or when we need a big shot.”</p> <p>Koonce, who plays for the Colorado Titans club program during the summer, has plenty more time for his stock to rise as the Warriors head into next week’s postseason positioned for a deep playoff run.</p>