University of Nevada - Las Vegas Women's Basketball

COACHING RESPONSIBILITY: Associate Head Coach YEAR AT UNLV: Sixth BIRTHDAY: July 8 EDUCATION: Master’s Degree (University of Central Oklahoma, ’09) HOMETOWN: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma FAMILY: Wife - Natalie; Daughters – Olivia, Amelia  RESIDENCE: Las Vegas, NV   ATHLETIC CAREER - Southwestern Christian University men’s basketball Hall of Fame inductee - The 2008 NCCAA Pete Maravich Player of the Year  - The program’s all-time leading scorer: 2,802 points   COLLEGIATE COACHING CAREER  2020-present: UNLV (associate head coach) 2019-20: North Texas (assistant coach) 2018-19: Tulsa (recruiting coordinator) 2015-18: Yale (assistant coach) 2013-15: Oklahoma (video coordinator) 2010-13: Mid-America Christian University (women’s basketball head coach) 2008-10: Oklahoma City University (men’s basketball assistant coach)   COACHING HIGHLIGHTS With a relentless commitment to growth, hard work, and developing players both on and off the court, Roman Owen brings energy and a tireless work ethic to each program he works with. Respected for his drive for excellence, Roman Owen has spent the past 17 years climbing the ranks from an NAIA Men’s basketball assistant coach at Oklahoma City University to associate head coach at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Hailing from Oklahoma City, he has built his career alongside some of the most admired people in women’s basketball. This includes Lindy La Rocque- current head coach at UNLV, and women’s basketball Hall of Famer and former head coach at the University of Oklahoma, Sherri Coale.   During Owen’s time at UNLV, the Lady Rebels have consistently grown, accumulating strong wins and competing at a championship level. The success is reflected in the team’s consistency. Over five seasons, the Lady Rebels have earned an incredible 128-30 overall record, including an impressive 79-11 record in conference play. In 2023, UNLV earned a record-setting 31 wins, and is one of only two teams to go undefeated in league play in the history of the Mountain West Conference. In 2022, 2023, and 2024, the Lady Rebels captured the Mountain West regular season and tournament championships, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament each year. Through this accomplishment, UNLV became the first program in Mountain West history to claim the tournament and regular season title in three consecutive seasons. Prior to this, UNLV had not been to the NCAA Tournament in over 20 years. In 2023, UNLV reached the Associated Press Top 25 Poll for the first time since 1994. The Lady Rebels stayed in the poll for four consecutive weeks and finished at No. 21 in the country. In 2024, the Lady Rebels again received national attention, and appeared in the AP Top 25 Poll for five straight weeks, rising as high as No. 20- the program’s highest ranking in nearly 30 years. In 2025, The Lady Rebels captured their fourth consecutive regular season championship. They also added another milestone by earning the program’s first postseason win in more than 20 years with an opening round victory in the WBI.   Under Owen’s leadership, 2025 promises to be a defining year for the Lady Rebels as the program aims to increase win totals, claim championships, and continue building a strong culture rooted in authenticity, accountability, and action.    Before coming to UNLV, Owen was an assistant coach at the University of North Texas during the 2019-2020 season. With the Mean Green, he coordinated all recruiting activities- from talent evaluation, to relationship building, to on-campus visits. He also set all offensive game plans- designing and implementing strategies that led to the team’s 65.6 points per game- the most the program experienced since the 2012-2013 season.    Previously, Owen served as the recruiting coordinator for the University of Tulsa’s Golden Hurricane during the 2018-2019 season. Known for his meticulous preparation and in-depth data gathering, he was a key contributor to building the team’s defensive schemes, helping the team hold opponents to 63.4 points per game, which was the program’s best since the 2012-2013 season. This laid an important foundation for future growth.    Owen spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Yale, where he worked to guide the team towards historic success. In the 2017-2018 season, the Bulldogs won 19 games- the most in the program’s history. The season was capped off by winning the WBI Championship, becoming the first Ivy League women’s basketball team to win a national postseason tournament.    From 2013 to 2015, he served as the video coordinator for the University of Oklahoma. This role included assisting with day-to-day scouting and providing inspirational leadership for the program, which helped contribute to the team’s competitive edge. During his tenure, the Sooners appeared back-to-back in the NCAA Tournament.    At the age of 25, Owen was named head coach at Mid-America Christian University, where he led the program for three years. During this time, he not only guided the team to notable success —including a triumph over nationally ranked #20 Lubbock Christian University, winning an NCCAA Regional Championship, and qualifying for the NCCAA National Tournament in 2011— but also laid a strong foundation for his future leadership. His experience honed his ability to help with future programs while reinforcing the core values he and his staff embraced at MACU: how you do anything is how you do everything, approaching each day with great attitude, energy, and effort, and committing to compete with excellence in every area.   Owen began his career at Oklahoma City University with the men’s basketball program. He played a key role in leading the program to a 32-26 record over two seasons. This was highlighted by an appearance in the 2010 NAIA National Tournament.   Recruiting and Player Development   UNLV: Desi-Rae Young -2024 NCAA Division I All-American Honorable Mention Team -2022 and 2024 Mountain West Conference Player of the Year -2022, 2023, and 2024 First Team All-Conference -2023 MVP of the Conference Tournament -2022, 2023, and 2024 All-Mountain West Defensive Team -2021 Freshman of the Year -Finished her career with 2,017 points and 1,081 rebounds which ranks second and fourth respectively in program history -One of two student-athletes in Lady Rebels history to mark 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds   Kiara Jackson: -2022 Freshman of the Year in the Mountain West Conference  -2023 Sixth Woman of the Year -2024 and 2025 First Team All-Conference -2024 #1 in the country in assists to turnover ratio at 3.49 -2025 #1 in the country for a second year in a row in assists to turnover ratio at 3.69   Meadow Rowland:  -2025 Freshman of the Year in the Mountain West Conference  -2025 Sixth Woman of the Year    Essence Booker: -2022 and 2023 First Team All-Conference in the Mountain West Conference -2022 MVP of the conference tournament   Amarachi Kimpson: -2024 Freshman of the Year in the Mountain West Conference -2024 Sixth Woman of the Year -2025 First Team All-Conference    Yale: Roxy Barahman - 2019 and 2020 First Team All-Ivy - Fourth in program history in scoring with 1,513 points   Tamara Simpson - 2017 and 2018 Defensive Player of the Year - 2018 Second Team All-Ivy - The Ivy League’s all-time steals leader with 362 - Top ten in program history in scoring with 1,275 points   Mid-America Christian University:   Kourtni Williams - 2013 NAIA All-American - Led the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) in scoring at 17.2 ppg - Finished third in the SAC in rebounding grabbing 8.2 rpg - In 2020 was named the Player of the Decade for the program      

Mia Bell is the first and only Las Vegas native to both play and coach for the Lady Rebels. The former All-Mountain West selection was hired in September 2014 and the 2023-24 season will begin her 10th year as an assistant coach, now under the direction of Lindy La Rocque. "I am thrilled to keep Mia Bell in the Lady Rebel program," said La Rocque. "As an alum, Mia’s pride for UNLV and passion for basketball is unmatched. Her work ethic and enthusiasm for growth will push our program forward. Mia’s familiarity with UNLV makes for a seamless transition, she will continue to impact our young ladies in a positive light and help them develop on and off the court.” In 2023, Bell’s backcourt dominated the Mountain West Conference.  Senior point guard Essence Booker guided the ship for the league leader in scoring offense, scoring margin, field-goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage and assists. Booker ranked among the conference’s top 10 players in nearly every offensive category and was the lone Mountain West player to record multiple double-digit assist games. Senior guard Justice Ethridge led the Mountain West in points per play and effective field-goal shooting. Ethridge was the league’s top guard (and fifth overall) with a .551 field-goal percentage and her 2.5 assists per game was the highest mark among non-PGs. Sophomore Kiara Jackson earned MW Sixth Player of the Year honors after averaging 7.8 points and 2.3 assists.  Freshman Jasmyn Lott proved to be one of the league’s top newcomers. Lott recorded the highest free-throw percentage, PER, offensive rating and win shares per 40 minutes among the Mountain West’s freshmen. She also carried the second-best field-goal percentage and defensive rating. The Lady Rebels set a program record with 31 wins, matched the program’s longest winning streak at 22 games and went undefeated at home for the first time since 1979. Only national champion LSU and perennial No. 1-ranked South Carolina had higher winning percentages than UNLV.  Bell’s guard instruction lifted UNLV to new heights in 2021-22 as the Lady Rebels swept the Mountain West regular-season and tournament championships for the first time, earning the program’s first bid to the NCAA Tournament since 2002. Each of UNLV’s starting guards were award winners. Booker joined teammate Desi-Rae Young on the Mountain West’s 10-member all-conference team and dominated in the Mountain West Championship Tournament to earn MVP honors. Justice Ethridge was voted to the conference’s all-defensive team and Alyssa Durazo-Frescas joined the five-member Mountain West All-Freshman Team after leading the conference with a .440 3-point field goal percentage. The Lady Rebels 26-7 overall record was its second best in their history with the most victories for the program in nearly three decades. UNLV lead the Mountain West in field-goal percentage and ranked among Division I’s top 25 teams for scoring offense, field-goal percentage and 3-point field goal percentage. UNLV matched a single-game record twice by making 12 3-pointers in wins over Grambling (Nov. 28) and San Jose State (Feb. 19). The Lady Rebels’ .737 free-throw percentage marked another program record. During her first six years on the bench, the Lady Rebels reached the postseason twice (WNIT in both 2016-17 and 2017-18) and won the school's first conference championship in 24 years as they claimed the 2017-18 Mountain West regular-season championship with a school-record 14-4 mark in MW play. She oversaw player development, seeing much success with the guards as three players (Dakota Gonzalez, Brooke Johnson (twice), Nikki Wheatley (twice)) earned All-MW honors over the past four seasons.    Bell was a starter from her first day on campus during the 2009-10 season. She still ranks in the top 10 all-time at UNLV in numerous statistical categories, including third all-time in total assists (434) and three-point percentage (36.2%). Bell was named third team all-conference as a junior after leading the Lady Rebels to their best record in the past 10 years, a 22-10 mark that included a second place finish in the league and a trip to the 2012 Postseason WNIT. That season she connected on a total of three game-winning shots, and had four game-winners in her career. She also tied the school record with 14 assists in a win at Nevada, Reno on Jan. 2, 2012.     "I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to be a part of Coach La Rocque’s staff," said Bell. "I’ve had the privilege of knowing Lindy for well over a decade. She brings a wealth of knowledge and tons of success with her and I’m excited to assist her in building something special here at UNLV." Bell received her bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies in December of 2013 in her final year on the team, after taking a medical redshirt during the 2012-13 campaign.  A graduate of Durango High School in 2009, where she was also a teammate of La Rocque's, she finished her high school career as the 2008-09 Gatorade Player of the Year for Nevada.

Tinkle arrives in Las Vegas after spending last season in Malibu with the Pepperdine Waves as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. Before her season with the Waves, Tinkle spent three seasons at the University of Montana as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. She helped guide Montana to a 23-10 record in the 2022-23 season, which also included a WNIT berth and the Lady Griz’s first postseason win since 2014. During Tinkle’s first year with the Lady Griz, she helped the squad have a seven-win improvement in the 2021-22 season.   Tinkle began her coaching career in Missoula after spending five years in the private sector. She is part of the Pacific Northwest's foremost basketball families: Her father, Wayne, is the current men's basketball coach at Oregon State after leading the Griz for four seasons, and her mother Lisa McLeod is a Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame inductee. Her younger siblings Elle and Tres starred at Gonzaga and Oregon State, respectively.   As a player, Tinkle was a four-year varsity letter-winner under legendary head coach Tara VanDerveer at Stanford, and played alongside La Rocque for three seasons. The pair was part of three Final Four appearances and three Pac-10/12 Conference titles together. La Rocque and Tinkle each collected four Pac-10/12 Conference titles throughout their career as a Cardinal. A McDonald's All-American from Big Sky High School, located in Missoula, Mont., Tinkle was selected to the United States U18 team that won gold in 2008. She graduated from Stanford in 2013 with a double major in sociology and communications, then went on to play for the WNBA's Seattle Storm and eventually in three different overseas leagues.