Former University of Wisconsin basketball player Freddie Owens is preparing to release a memoir next month that traces his path from Milwaukee’s North Side to the NCAA tournament and, eventually, a long career in coaching.
The book, Echoes of Stark Park, draws its name from the Milwaukee park where Owens spent much of his childhood and where he says basketball became both a refuge and a guide.
“That’s where everything began,” Owens said in an interview for the 365 Amplified podcast. “If it wasn’t for that park and the friends I made there and the relationships I built there, I don’t know where I’d be standing today.”
Listen to the full interview:
Owens grew up on Milwaukee’s North Side during the 1980s and 1990s, an environment he describes as shaped by poverty, crime, and instability, but also by strong family ties and community support.
“We had a lot of community, a lot of family, a lot of positive things that came out of that part of Milwaukee,” he said. “I was fortunate enough to be part of a village that helped mold me into the man I am today.”
A standout player at Washington High School, Owens earned a scholarship to the University of Wisconsin after attending an elite summer camp there before his senior year. Wisconsin, he said, had long been his goal.
“Growing up, I watched Tracy Webster, Michael Finley, Rashard Griffith,” Owens said. “I always had a dream of playing at the University of Wisconsin, and I was very fortunate that it worked out.”
Owens arrived in Madison in 2001, joining a program that was coming off a Final Four appearance the previous season. Over his career, he played on three Big Ten championship teams and became a two-year starter. He remains best known to many Badger fans for hitting a late three-pointer in the 2003 NCAA tournament to help Wisconsin advance to the Sweet Sixteen.
“There’s not a month that goes by where I’m not talking to somebody about that shot,” Owens said. “The best part is knowing it created joy for someone else.”
In Echoes of Stark Park, Owens reflects not only on his athletic success but also on his experience as a Black student-athlete on a predominantly white campus. He said the transition from Milwaukee to Madison required adjustment but ultimately broadened his perspective.
“It was definitely a different experience for me,” Owens said. “I hadn’t had a lot of interaction with people from different backgrounds up to that point. But the campus was vibrant, and people were welcoming. I learned a lot about people from different cultures and different parts of the world.”
Owens said athletics played a role in easing that transition.
“Sports helps build that bridge,” he said. “Once you’re on the court, you’re all trying to achieve the same goals. That shared purpose matters.”
After graduating, Owens played professionally in Europe before transitioning into coaching. Over nearly two decades, he coached at multiple collegiate programs across the country, including stops at Oregon State, Loyola University Maryland and the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay, where he also served as interim head coach.
Now living in northeastern Wisconsin with his wife and young son, Owens has stepped away from coaching and turned his focus to writing, family, and teaching at Green Bay West. He said the memoir began as a personal project meant for his son.
“Both of my parents are deceased, and as a middle-aged man I have a lot of unanswered questions,” Owens said. “I didn’t want that for my kid. I wanted him to have something he could come back to at different points in his life.”
As he continued writing, Owens said he realized the story might resonate beyond his family.
“The deeper I got into it, I realized a lot of the experiences I went through could be used in a positive way to help somebody else,” he said. “Especially kids coming from rough areas, where circumstances can feel defining.”
The book explores themes of identity, resilience, faith, and mentorship, connecting Owens’s childhood in Milwaukee to his years in Madison and his later career in coaching. While basketball provides the structure, Owens said the central message is broader.
“Success looks different for everyone,” he said. “For me, it’s about being present and being happy where you are. This is the happiest I’ve ever been.”
Echoes of Stark Park is scheduled for release in February. It is available for pre-order now and will be available through major booksellers.
