Set to start his ninth year with the Cerritos College men’s basketball coaching staff, Lavell Owens spent 15 years playing professional basketball overseas. Owens is in his second stint as a member of the coaching staff after a few years away from the program. After a successful high school career at Monticello (AK) High School and then the University of Central Arkansas, Owens embarked on a worldwide journey that took him to nine different countries. His playing experiences include professional contracts in Spain, China, Greece, Chile, Columbia, Lebanon, Qatar, Bolivia and Cyprus that lasted from 1993-2007. On most of those teams, he was the lone American and regularly led his teams in scoring until a couple of knee injuries ended his playing career.

Owens ended up in California, where he earned a coaching position at Burbank High from 2009-10 and then spent 2010-11 at St. Anthony High.

Owens, 51, earned a Bachelor’s degree in Special Education from the University of Central Arkansas in 1993. He resides in North Hollywood.