PUBLISHER’s NOTE: PVN offers its regrets to those involved for the tardiness of this report.
Signing ceremony held as LHS senior prepares for next step
By Randy Arrington
LURAY, March 9 — When he was only 18 months old, Matthew Owens started scoring baskets. Granted it was a Fisher-Price hoop, the ball was much smaller, and his hang time wasn’t overly impressive…but it foreshadowed the future of Luray High School’s all-time leading scorer.
“A huge thanks to all of my coaches and teammates I’ve grown up with throughout my basketball journey that helped me grow and develop into the person and player I am today, and continuously believed in me no matter the circumstances,” Owens said earlier this month.
After verbally committing in late September to play basketball for James Madison University, the LHS senior sat down four days prior to the VHSL Class 1 state championship to sign his letter of intent, officially securing his deal with the Dukes and fulfilling a life-long dream.
“It’s been a dream of mine since I was a kid. I’ve always wanted this…I have papers written down saying I want to play Division I, and one of my top schools was always JMU as well, so this is really a blessing,” Owens said during an interview with PVN last fall.
Supporters gathered in the LHS Commons on March 9 to witness the signing and offer their congratulations. Teammates — some of which he had played AAU ball with since second grade — lined the front row. Speakers included his father, Stevie, who recalled scouting kids in P.E. class and putting together the Luray Legacy team along with Jake Judy when the boys were still in elementary school.
“You guys are all family,” Stevie said to the 60-plus in attendance, “and to see these guys all sitting here in the front row is really powerful.”
LHS head coach Matt Huff talked about the special season that just ended for this group. The Bulldogs finished 24-6, won the Bull Run District title, captured their third-straight region title, made their first appearance in the state championship in 50 years…and they won it in a double-overtime thriller. Matthew would lead Luray in the state title win with 21 points, earn first team all-state honors, was one spot away from being named Virginia’s Class 1 Player of the Year — after being named Player of the Year in the Bull Run and Region 1B — and he even broke the school’s all-time scoring record for boys basketball, which now stands at 1,706 points. Huff was named Virginia’s Class 1 Coach of the Year.
“I remember first seeing a kid that was 5’5″ and 55 pounds soaking wet…but he had a tenacity about him,” Coach Huff recalled of a young Matthew. “I remember his first start for us and in the first four possessions, he hit four-straight three-pointers…and I said early on, I think we got a DI kid on our hands, and here we are today.”
Despite having a number of DII and DIII schools like Frostburg, Shepherd, Bridgewater and EMU also courting the basketball star, as well as a visit to Navy, Owens stated that JMU was his top Division I collegiate offer. The Dukes’ coaching staff began contacting Matthew after Luray’s state semifinal loss during his junior season to a stacked John Marshall team. Owens lead all scorers in his last three games of his junior campaign and averaged 24 ppg (a total of 71 points). He also had two buzzer-beating shots in the playoffs that year.
“I didn’t really talk to them much until after we played John Marshall… I guess they saw me then and they invited me to their elite camp,” Owens said after his verbal committment last fall. “I was at elite camp and did alright and then they invited me up for a visit and we stayed in contact. Then they just offered me a spot and I took it. It was a pretty cool experience.”
Despite prior incorrect reports of the LHS senior being a “preferred walk-on” still having to earn a spot, Owens has in fact been guaranteed a spot on the 2026-27 JMU roster. He is being offered a partial scholarship, but is not allowed to discuss the specifics of the financial arrangement, including any NIL deals.
JMU men’s basketball finished the 2025-26 season with an overall record of 18-15 and 9-9 in the Sunbelt Conference. Head Coach Preston Spradlin completed his second season with the Dukes after arriving in Harrisonburg from Morehead State, where he was voted two-time Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year.
With seven of his 14 players this season being listed as either seniors, red-shirt seniors or fifth-year students, Spradlin will need to fill some holes on the roster — mainly through the transfer portal. The incoming 2026 freshman class for the Dukes only consists of two players — A.J. Evans from Iowa, and Matthew Owens from Luray.
Coach Spradlin has told Owens that his main goal should be to “gain some weight to get a little bigger and a little stronger,” according to the LHS all-state selection. Currently, the tape on Owens shows a 6’3″ shooting guard that weighs in at about 155 pounds. That makes him at least 20 pounds lighter than the leanest player on this season’s roster.
“He’s just a great guy, great coach, super knowledgable, he’s told me that he believes in me and believes in what I’m capable of,” the LHS senior said last fall of Coach Spradlin. “So it’s been great to see a coach that knows what I’m capable of and that will lead me in the right direction — not just on the court, but off the court as well.”
It’s unclear — and likely undecided as of yet — as to whether Owens will spend his first season with the Dukes under a “red shirt” to get acclimated to the size and speed of the Division I college game, but either way he says he’s ready to commit to the work it will take to succeed at the next level.
“The coaches are such great people….they care about the kids, they care about me and that’s the kind of commitment they had when I visited,” Owens said earlier this month. “I think they saw my work ethic…maybe being able to shoot from long range… but every game I just want to get better.”
Several speakers during the March 9 signing ceremony talked about Owens’ faith and the fact that he was “coachable.” LHS Athletic Director Patty Secrist noted he was “the type of student-athlete that every school wants around.”
Matthew said he wanted to be remembered as a Bulldog that was “a good player and a good teammate that always put the team first” — something every coach wants to hear from a star player. The all-time leading scorer for the Bulldogs remains humble and he remembers those who helped him reach the next level.
“First and foremost, I would like to thank God because without Him none of my success on the court and off the court would be possible,” Matthew told those in attendance on March 9.
“I would like to thank Coach Spradlin and all of the JMU coaching staff for believing in me and giving me this opportunity to play basketball at JMU. I am beyond blessed to have this opportunity, and to have such an amazing coaching staff to help me develop into a better basketball player and person,” Owens continued.
“This journey was never easy and my goal of playing Division I basketball seemed very far at times with many obstacles and challenges that were faced, but I am blessed to have amazing peopel in my life who continued to push me and to never lose sight of my dreams. Many long nights and early mornings in the gym paid off, and there is still way more work to be done. This is just the beginning and I can’t wait to see what God has in store for these next four years. Go Dukes!”
For more information on JMU men’s basketball,
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