LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Kentucky says the NCAA has granted former Maryland center Olivia Owens immediate eligibility to play this season for the Wildcats after transferring in June.
The 6-foot-4 Owens missed last season with medical issues after playing 16 games as a freshman with the Terrapins. Rated a top-35 high school prospect by several recruiting sites, the Albany, New York, native helped Maryland win the Big Ten Conference tournament title as a reserve.
Owens joins a Kentucky roster that returns junior guard Rhyne Howard, who was named Southeastern Conference Player of the Year by coaches. Forward Dre'una Edwards, the 2019 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year at Utah, is also eligible after sitting out last season per NCAA transfer rules.
Owens said in a release she is excited to begin her next chapter. Kentucky coach Matthew Mitchell said Owens has worked hard since arriving and added, "Her teammates and all of us are overjoyed for her that she will get that opportunity.''