Pro baller Owens from Port Royal is living his dream. Next stop: Abu Dhabi
_fitted.jpeg "Port Royal native Ryle Owens has signed a deal to play professional basketball with Al Wahda, based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.")
Ryle Owens of Port Royal is living a dream playing professional international basketball.
His ability to direct offenses as a point guard and make three-pointers has earned him respect. Playing professional basketball has also allowed him to see the world, from Greece to Georgia, while getting paid.
The next stop for the globetrotting point guard from the Lowcountry is the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula.
In the UAE, the 6-foot-3 tall Owens will play with a pro team called Al Wahda Abu Dhabi in Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital, Dreamcatch Management announced Monday. The team competes in the UAE National Basketball League, the top professional basketball league in the country.
Owens’ signing came after his strong performance representing Venados de Mazatlan, a professional team from Mexico, in a recent NBA G League preseason game against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, an affiliate of the Houston Rockets.
Owens’ play in that game, Dreamcatch said, “showcased his high-level scoring, leadership and consistency proving once again why he’s one of the most respected guards in international basketball.”
“Ultimately,” Owens told the Beaufort Gazette and Island Packet, “the goal is to land a long-term deal in the NBA.”
But if he receives a better contract to play overseas, Owens says he will continue to play internationally, where many former NBA players and prospects compete. He just wants to have a long and healthy professional career, he says, whether it’s in the U.S. or overseas.
Owens, 28, the son of Brenda and Darryl Owens of Port Royal, graduated from Beaufort High School in 2015.
Darryl Owens, a member of the Port Royal Town Council, says he’s proud of his son’s success after high school and college.
“I commend him for pursuing his personal interest and living his dream,” Darryl Owens said.
After high school, Ryle played basketball at the University of South Carolina Salkehatchie, a junior college in Walterboro, before transferring to Young Harris in north Georgia. During his senior year at Young Harris in 2019 and 2020, he started 16 of 28 games, averaging 14.5 points and 4.3 rebounds and sinking 74 three-point field goals.
Owens has played on four pro teams overseas, his father said, allowing him to perform in front of international crowds in 12 countries. He’s played in Macedonia, Bulgaria, Iraq, Dubai, Greece, Jordan and Georgia, the former Soviet republic known for its Caucasus Mountain villages and Black Sea beaches.
“He’s been all over,” Darryl Owens says of his son.
