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Honorable Mentions: RJ Walker, Seth Moan, Keegan Oyugi, Anthony DiLoreto, Bryce Williams

ST. BONIFACIUS, Minn. --- Coming in at number ten on our list is Roland Owczarek. A wing/forward player who was active from 2011-2015, he might have the best nickname on our list. "Bullet Head," as he was affectionately known, lived up to that name with a physical, direct style of play that sees him land fourth all-time for both free throws attempted and made (208-285, 73%). A durable, consistent performer, Owczarek remains in the upper echelon of players for career games played (96, eighth-most) and games started (93, sixth-most). His 27 games played and started in the 2013-14 season remain program single-season records.  

Roland was "always" coming to Crown, as his mom, Cheryl, serves as the college's receptionist, so before the coaching staff had even seen him play, they knew he was going to be attending Crown. When they did get to see him play, they witnessed a hard-working, blue-collar player who had a ton of potential. Switching to the wing immediately upon arriving at Crown, it didn't take long for the Watertown, Minnesota native to find his feet. In just his fifth career game, he notched what would end up being his career-high, with 23 points in 44 minutes against North Central. It was also early on that he earned his nickname, most notably doing battle with fellow wing Anthijuan Beeks Jr. in early practices.

"Roland and Anthijuan were such similar players in many ways," explains coach Herbert. "It just made sense to match them up against each other in practice. The issue was, neither player would back down, and most drills ended up looking more like a brawl than basketball. We had a conversation as a coaching staff and concluded that we had to put them on the same team in every drill or they might end up killing each other. We did, it worked, Beeks came up with that nickname, and the rest is history."

Over four years, Owczarek totaled game-highs of 23 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. Remarkably, he hit double-digit free throws in a single game on three separate occasions, twice making ten shots from the charity stripe and hitting eleven to mark a career-high.

His best statistical season came in 2013-14 when he was an integral part of the team that won Crown's first NCAA-era playoff game and finished the season with a loss in the UMAC Championship Game. That year he averaged 9.4 points and 3.4 rebounds while shooting 80% from the foul line. His 84 made free throws that year are the fifth-highest single-season total in program history.
 

Roland's consistency, both in production and in effort, were hallmarks of his career. He maintains numerous positions within the all-time top 10 including ranking 10th in scoring (724), eighth in rebounds (315), sixth in assists (169), fourth in steals (98), and seventh in minutes played (2,391), along with his previously mentioned marks for free throws and games played/started.  

It was some unique traits that don't show up in a box score, however, that coaches and teammates will remember best.  

"Roland was the best player I've ever coached at three unique things", notes coach Luke Herbert. "While we don't have definitive numbers to back this up, Roland has to be our all-time leader in charges taken and four-point plays. Specifically, I've never seen a player take so may charges in the open court more than 15 feet from the basket. He was also incredible at maintaining position behind an offensive post player and then shooting around to steal the entry pass."

"Roland was the first player I coached that only saw me as a coach, not as a former player/teammate," said coach Inder Singh. "He was such a vital part of our '13-'14 team that made that playoff run, flying down the left-wing and either finishing or getting to the line. He didn't get the headlines in that group, but was so important."

During his senior year, Owczarek pulled off an incredible balancing act, finishing his degree while providing leadership to a young team and working full-time as an accountant as part of an extended internship. It would have been very easy to walk away from the team during that final year, but he was as steady as ever.
 

Owczarek and his wife Jessica (a former Crown women's basketball player) have been married four years, have two children, and live close to both of their families in Watertown, Minnesota. He works as a Senior Associate with Jones Lang Lasalle in the real estate industry.
He counts some of his favorite memories during his time in a Storm uniform as the electric atmosphere during the 2013-14 UMAC Championship Game, scoring his first collegiate points (a made three against Bethel in his first game, plus, of course, a foul), the competition and camaraderie of practice, and simply realizing his dream of playing NCAA basketball.

He also recounts a specific moment that echoes one of coach Singh's favorite interactions with him, a late-game situation against Martin Luther College. Both coach and player remember the moment well, in which Coach Singh pulled him aside out of a huddle late in the game and told him to float to the corner and that he would seal the game with a three. Things came together just as Coach Singh said they would and Roland drilled the game-clinching shot.

Owczarek's legacy isn't in a single game or season of brilliance, but rather an extremely consistent career. Before that sounds like low praise, consider that he joined a team coming off seasons with zero, four, and five wins and graduated after playing in a conference championship game. Throughout that rise of the program, Roland always belonged. He deserved to be on the floor, and his career numbers rightfully place him on our list.