Hall of Fame
Wendell Owens graduated from Van Buren HS in 1982. As a standout boy’s basketball player for the Bumblebees, he earned All-City honors twice and was named the Newsday PSAL Player of the Year as a Senior. He was recruited by various DI programs but ultimately decided on San Jacinto Junior College. In 1983 his team won the NJCAA National Championship. Despite his success there, his heart was at home so the coach at SJJC recommended WCC as a place to transfer to and play.
When he joined the Westcos, he was overwhelmed the first day of practice when 25 quality players showed up for tryouts. Wendell made the team as a shooting guard, but a need arose for a point guard before the season started for which he was able to seamlessly adjust to. Not only did he bring his skills, but a championship pedigree. He was happy to instill a goal of getting his team back to National Tournament. In fact, their huddle break was “Kansas”, indicating the Hutchison, KS site that hosted it each year.
Wendell averaged 25 points per game during the regular season in which the Westcos only lost one game to BMCC. The team breezed through the Region 15 tournament, avenging the loss to BMCC along the way in route to National Tournament bid. Wendell was even more outstanding in clutch time, averaging 28 ppg in the tournament.
WCC made it all the way to the final four where they fell to the reigning National Champions, San Jacinto. It may have been natural for Wendell to second guess his choice in leaving, but from a basketball standpoint, but he felt he played better with Westchester than he would have otherwise, got to stay close to home, and ended the season with no regrets.
Individually, Wendell was named the Mid-Hudson Conference and Region 15 MVP. He was First team All-Conference, All-Region and was named as a First Team All-American in Division I. He was voted as the recipient of the “Bud Obee Award” given to the top guard at the National tournament and he was named to the All-Tournament team. After the season, Wendell was selected as a NJCAA All-Star, to appear with the top players in the country in an AAU Tournament in Colorado. He and his WCC teammate, Alex Agido, both participated in what was also a pre-Olympic tryout.
After WCC, he transferred to Texas Tech and played with them for two years from 1985-1987. During his first year, his Red Raider team qualified for the NCAA Tournament, where he was player of the game in a first-round matchup versus Georgetown as he put up 24 points, 5 assists and 3 steals. He earned his degree in 1987 and went on to tryout for the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs before retiring from playing organized basketball.
He then entered the workforce in the field of operations management for a local non-profit agency where he conducts Disabilities Utilization reviews.
Wendell currently lives in Mesquite, Texas with his with Dee. They have 4 children and a granddaughter. His son Jamel currently attends Texas State. Stepson Zamitri attended the University of Texas at Arlington. Their daughter Jasmine graduated from Lamar University. Their youngest son Zaedyn is currently in high school where he follows in his dad’s footsteps playing basketball. Wendell and Dee also enjoy spending time with their 6-year-old granddaughter, Nyla!
