EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WCIA) – Chrisman, Illinois native Brent Owen led Lenoir-Rhyne men’s basketball to the DII quarterfinals in his first year at the helm.

Owen took the job with the Bears after a few years leading Eastern New Mexico University. He also made previous coaching stops at Southern Indiana and Tell City High School in Indiana.

Dozens of Owen’s friends and family from his hometown in east central Illinois made the trip to Evansville, Indiana to support him.

Those who know the Chrisman native well say they’re not surprised at his coaching success.

“He’s had a passion for the game as long as I’ve known him,” Shawn Nugent, who coached Owen’s JV team at Chrisman High School, said. “He loves the game, I saw it coming. You could see it coming.”

To know his story and know the passion that him and his wife Ashley have in pursuing his career has been really special,” Chad Benedict, Owen’s varsity head coach in high school, said.

“We’re proud. We come from a little town, you know, Brent came from a little town in Illinois so it’s good,” his dad, Ben Owen, said.

Lenoir-Rhyne lost to Washburn 90-78 in Tuesday’s Elite Eight contest. He took the program to levels it had never reached before. 2025 marked the Bears’ first ever NCAA Regional Title.