Skip to content
Link copied to clipboard

Micahya Owens knows how close she is to her 2,000th career point

Micahya Owens knows how close she is to her 2,000th career point.

Willingboro H.S. basketball player Micahya Owens (right) drives past teammate Imani Stepney during practice in Willingboro, December 12, 2012. (David M Warren/Staff Photographer)
Willingboro H.S. basketball player Micahya Owens (right) drives past teammate Imani Stepney during practice in Willingboro, December 12, 2012. (David M Warren/Staff Photographer)Read more

Micahya Owens knows how close she is to her 2,000th career point.

She can tell you how many points she has, how many points she needs, and what she needs to average this season to get it.

"Right now, I have 1,488," Owens said, with a sheepish smile.

Owens is the soft-spoken, humble superstar of the Willingboro girls' basketball team. She's the type of player sometimes too humble on the court to realize fully her enormous potential.

"Her biggest weakness sometimes is herself," Chimeras coach Marchelle Coleman said.

That's partly why Coleman is taking a somewhat unusual approach to Owens' 2,000th point.

Some coaches tell players not to think about such milestones. Others even try their best to keep it a secret. Coleman is on the other end of the spectrum, and that speaks to her faith in Owens, the most dynamic and well-rounded scorer in South Jersey.

"She came to me and said, 'Ms. Coleman, I would really like to score my 2,000th point this year,' " Coleman said. "I told her, 'Micahya, you can score at will. I'm going to give you every opportunity. When you get the ball, you can take anybody off the dribble, you can shoot . . .'

"I have given her the green light, carte blanche. Go ahead and do it."

Owens, a 5-foot-10 senior forward who recently accepted a scholarship to La Salle University, would be just the 24th player in South Jersey girls' basketball to hit the 2,000-point mark and the second in Willingboro girls' basketball history.

Crystal Langhorne finished her career at Willingboro in 2004 with 2,776 points before a storied career at the University of Maryland and an ongoing career in the WNBA.

Owens and all of the Willingboro girls' players look up to Langhorne.

"To be the second person, to have my name up on the wall in the gym right next to hers, that would mean a whole lot to me," Owens said.

And it would mean a whole lot to her team. Owens figures she needs to average around 20 points this season to do it. Last season, she averaged 16.1; the year before, she averaged 18.3.

So scoring her 2,000th point would mean a career year for Owens. And it would likely equal success for the Chimeras, who open the season as the No. 2 team in The Inquirer's South Jersey rankings.

Though Willingboro brings back an experienced team, Coleman is expecting Owens to set the tone, and when the game is on the line, expect Owens to be the player with the ball.

"I can see the growth in her," Coleman said. "I can see the work she's done over the summer. She is in perfect condition.

"Her shooting is better. Her shot selection is better. I can just see the maturity overall. I have confidence in her, and she's a leader on this team."

For Coleman, just as it is for Owens, 2,000 is more than just a number or a personal goal.

Owens sees an opportunity for her team to win a state title, she sees the banner on the gym wall - the one with just Crystal Langhorne's name on it - and she sees one final chance at glory in her high school career. And chasing her 2,000th point means chasing all of those goals.

"We're all excited for this season," Owens said. "We're all just focused on going out there and seeing how far we can go."