Every student-athlete has a story, details about themselves and their background that extend beyond just the playing field and athletics. 

Throughout the summer, we will take a look at the members of the Tennessee Tech women's basketball team and get to know more about them, the student-athletes who are representing not just their home communities, but also the University, Cookeville and the Upper Cumberland as they don the purple and gold. We asked the team to provide 10 facts about themselves that they want you, the fans, to know about them. 

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Today's subject is senior Maaliya Owens. Hailing from Georgetown, Ky., Owens has been a valuable presence for the Golden Eagles, watching her numbers steadily improve through the course of her career.

Here's 10 things Owens wants you to know about her:

1. Growing up, I did ballet, pageants, gymnastics, cheer and modeling. I didn't want anything to do with basketball until middle school. I actually didn't really want to play basketball in middle school, but I hit a growth spurt and it just "made sense" for me to start playing basketball.
2. My favorite ice cream flavor is cookies 'n cream.
3. My mom is in the Hall of Fame at Lincoln Memorial University, and she holds two assist records there, too.
4. My dad coached Rajon Rondo in high school, so they are pretty close.
5. I have three half-siblings, and two of them are twins.
6. I broke my big toe in high school by accidentally kicking another girl in the back of the foot.
7. Some of my favorite hobbies are doing puzzles or coloring in those adult coloring books.
8. I love watching home renovation shows on HGTV like "Fixer Upper," "Love It or List It," and "Flip or Flop."
9. I love cooking and baking, but I'm a very picky eater, so I usually end up making a lot of the same things.
10. I love hot chocolate so much that I will drink it anytime, anywhere – even if I'm sitting down at the pool when it's 90 degrees outside, I will be drinking hot chocolate. It's kind of like how a lot of people drink coffee, but mine is just hot chocolate.

Photo | Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information