You would think with the exception of a recruiting trip, Carol Owens spent her summer in DeKalb. But this summer, the women’s basketball coach traveled to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to coach the USA Women’s U-18 National Team in the FIBA Americas Championships.

Owens and the team spent their time in Buenos Aires interacting with players from different teams, learning about another culture and experiencing Argentina’s great steak.

“They’re also known for their beef,” Owens said. “So we had a lot of steak and a lot of great food.”

On top of good steak, the U.S. won the gold medal.

The tournament featured the U.S., Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. The U.S. went 5-0 and had an average margin of victory of almost 50 points. The team’s performance qualified it for the 2009 FIBA U-19 World Championships.

“It feels great,” Owens said, who spent the previous two summers as an assistant for the U-18 and U-19 teams. “Where they started to where they finished, it was a great accomplishment for this group.”

Owens also got a taste of Argentinean weather.

“It’s their winter right now,” Owens said. “The weather was probably about 40 to 50 degrees. The first day that we were there it was rainy and cold.”

The team got to stay in a dorm-like atmosphere at the training facility instead of a hotel.

“I think it gave them an opportunity to bond with each other,” Owens said. “No cell phones really worked; they were out of the country.”