Gary Cowen

Gary Cowen, the founder of Chicago landmark Hoops the Gym, was the pioneer of the private basketball gymnasium concept.  Hoops, which opened in 1992, was the nation’s first private basketball gym and, after welcoming Tim Grover’s Attack Athletics to the facility, achieved mythical status, nationally and internationally, as “The House that Michael Jordan Built.”  In addition to Jordan, Hoops’ regulars have included Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, Elton Brand, Tim Hardaway, Michael Finley, Juwan Howard, Corey Maggette, Antoine Walker, Eddy Curry, Quentin Richardson and scores of other NBA All-Stars and 1st round draft picks.  Frequent visitors have included Jerry West, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Isiah Thomas and Mark Aguirre.  Hoops has hosted practices by legendary coaches such as Pat Riley, Denny Crum, Morgan Wooten, Pat Summitt, John Chaney, Doug Collins, Tom Izzo and Al Bruehl. 

            Cowen was responsible for running the international tryout camp for the Korean professional basketball league (as well as several other international tryout camps), developing and organizing Ricky Byrdsong’s Not-Just Basketball Camp, the Chicago Public School’s Juwan Howard summer basketball camp, the Chicago Public School’s Princeton Review summer basketball camp, hosting the Ray Meyer March of Dimes 3-on-3 tournament, and sponsoring the Chicago Hoops’ Express, Chicago’s premier girl’s traveling team.

            As a high school coach at the University of Chicago Lab School for five seasons, his teams compiled a 72-27 record, going 21-3 in his final season.  Closing his high school coaching career out with 20 consecutive wins, he joined the Robert Morris staff at the beginning of the 2004-2005 season after being a long time friend of the program.  His experience, contacts and counsel have been invaluable to the program, especially in scouting RMC opponents.

            A graduate of New Trier High School (1977) and the University of Michigan (1981), Cowen went to receive his law degree and MBA from Emory University in 1986.  He worked in private practice as a real estate attorney at two prestigious Chicago law firms before opening up Hoops.