Now that the 2017 class has, for the most part, signed for where they might be playing their college basketball careers at, programs have begun scouring the nation for what the 2018 class has to show for itself. On Thursday evening, LJ Owens, in front of a handful of college coaches, displayed just what has created strong whispers around him and the package of abilities that will soon make him a well-followed recruit.

Standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing close to 165 pounds, the first thing to point out about Owens is that he needs to gain some weight and get stronger; this he already knows. There were times throughout his contest with St. Mary’s Ryken on Thursday evening that he would struggle with the bump from off of the drive to the basket and other times would settle for the mid-range jumper instead of going body-to-body for the conversion at the basket.

However, the skillset out of Owens is pretty intriguing. A self-made junior that has put a ton of time into his game in recent months, there is a lot to like about what the Annapolis, Maryland native does and can do on the playing floor. Keeping his Severn School program afloat throughout, Owens was used as his team’s primary ballhandler as he used his super tight handles on the breakdown and is more than confident in hitting the mid-range pull-up while heavily guarded. His feel for the game is very strong and add in the fact that the 6-foot-3 junior is a willing distributor and the versatility from Owens is promising.

Despite his team going down in defeat, the Severn School star impressed. St. Joe’s head coach Phil Martelli along with assistants from Kansas State, Towson, George Mason and George Washington all were in the gym for an evaluation of Owens as his recruitment is just now beginning to heat up. “I have one offer from Kansas State right now but I am hearing from a lot of schools like Temple, Davidson and Towson,” Owens stated.

Having already visited American, Davidson and Temple, the latter coming this past weekend, the emerging junior gave insight on what has led to the uptick with his stock. “I really have just been working hard, working on my game, and going hard every game,” Owen told HoopSeen.

A ballplayer that should be valued for his shot making skills, playmaking abilities, and willingness to do whatever his team asks of him, it seems that Thursday’s viewing of Owens was just the tip of the iceberg of what can be with the versatile junior guard out of the Severn School.