The Australian pipeline to the University of Hawai’i basketball program is flowing just fine.
Matthew Owies, who is rated as the top point guard in Australia for the high school class of 2016, said he is committed to playing for the Warriors next year. He is currently a senior at St. Kevin’s College (which is actually a high school) in Melbourne, Australia. He will be a freshman at UH during the 2016-17 season.
Owies made an official visit to Hawai’i just last week, and was ready to commit shortly after returning to Melbourne. He is expected to sign a National Letter of Intent during the early signing period in November.
“The first thing was the culture that Coach (Eran) Ganot and Coach (Adam) Jacobsen, and Coach (Chris) Acker and the others there are trying to build,” Owies said. “It’s a culture of hard work and family and winning. I want to be a part of that. Also the facilities – the Stan Sheriff Center is amazing. I would love to play in there when it’s pumping. And then all the people there in Hawai’i are really nice and friendly and made me feel welcome. Those were the three things that made it feel like the perfect fit for me.”
Owies, who is 6 feet tall and 180 pounds, will bring with him an impressive resume. He is ranked No. 16 among all high school seniors in Australia by ausahoops.com. Here is the website’s description of Owies:
Owies is one of the best point guards in the Class of 2016. He’s a bulldog, making up for his lack of height with his strength and relentless hustle. He’s a pass-first point guard, using his speed and quickness to get into the lane and dish to open teammates. He’s shown to be a very capable leader, communicating extremely well on both ends of the floor. Will be a very reliable floor general in college.
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He has also played on the highest levels of club basketball in Australia, and is a member of Australia’s junior national team. In 2014, he was a starter on Australia’s under-17 team that placed second overall (losing to the USA in the championship game) at the FIBA U17 World Championship.
Earlier this year, he led his Victoria team to the U20 Australia National Championship. He averaged 7.6 points, 3.0 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game in the tournament.
His club coach, Nick Abdicevic, said Owies compares favorably to one of Australia’s current NBA players.
“It’s very difficult to compare him to someone like Matthew Dellavedova, but if there is a junior kid who you can say played like Dellavedova as a junior, it’s this kid,” Abdicevic said. “They both work very hard and play with that same aggressive style.”
Abdicevic added that Owies should be ready to compete immediately on the NCAA Division I level.
“His body is physically ready for college,” Abdicevic said. “And he’s also played on a high international level and on a high level here in Australia. He’s young but he’s already got a lot of experience at such a young age.”
Owies added: “I’m hoping to make an immediate impact. I pride myself on my smarts and quickness and toughness. I’ll do what ever it takes to win, and I’ve already played against some of the best players in the world for my age, so I feel like I’m ready for anything.”
Owies said he was also being recruited by Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, Arkansas-Little Rock and Washington State.
Owies said he will be graduating from St. Kevin’s in six weeks, and then will spend several months training with his club team in Australia in preparation for his stint at Hawai’i.
“We’re entering our summer over here in Australia, so I’ll be done with school soon,” he said. “And then I can spend more time getting myself ready for Hawai’i.”
Owies is the third Australian player to join the Warriors since Ganot became the head coach this year. Sophomore Jack Purchase and freshman Jakob Cornelissen are on this year’s roster.
“I’ve known those boys since I was 11 or 12 because we all played for the same club (Melbourne Tigers),” Owies said. “It made it feel like home and it certainly helped to have them there.”
Abdicevic, the Tigers’ coach, said: “With three players, I think you can say there’s a connection already. I hope it’s a long relationship because there are a lot of good young players here.”
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Here are a few videos featuring Owies: