I've covered women's basketball for four years and something seems off with this resignation.
Look at the quotes that Owens shared with me in a conversation:
http://www.northernstar.info/ArticlePage...ionfrom=20
“I can say it’s one of the hardest things I had to do in my life,” Owens said. “I care about and want what’s best for the team. I felt at this time, I had to take a step back.”
“I put in what needed to be done for NIU,” Owens said. “It’s a great place.”
“Coaching is in my blood,” Owens said. “I don’t feel like I can step away from coaching. I feel like I need to step away from coaching at NIU. Right now, I’m going to just take a little break. Right now, this is the best decision at this time.”
“Coaching here was a dream come true,” Owens said. “It is difficult to leave NIU, but it’s the best decision for everyone.”
“It was my decision alone,” Owens said. “It had nothing to do with the team. The administration was supportive. It was with me, personally.”
From my conversation with Owens this what I took away:
1) Coaching at NIU was her dream job
2) The next head coach at NIU needs to care about the players, build upon the program she set the foundation for, have a passion for NIU basketball and engage the alumns (this is from the article but Owens told me this). Basically the next head coach needs to be Owens.
3) Owens is not done coaching. Coaching is in her blood.
4) Owens made a personal decision to walk away from a profession she wants to continue, although she's already landed her dream job and believes the foundation she has created is able to win.
Part four makes no sense. I don't know what it is, but there's something more and bigger going on here. We're not getting the full story. I don't think Owens really wants to stop coaching at NIU, but something is stopping her. Whatever it is, she doing it because it's best for the women's basketball program. She's falling on the sword for someone or something to protect the program.