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Buy Now: The Roost’s 2020 Rice Football Season Preview and C-USA Preview

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The Roost is pleased to announce the release of the 2020 Rice Football Season Preview and the Conference USA Football Season Preview. These digital magazines are the one-stop-shop for every Rice and Conference USA Fan.

Buy Rice Preview
Buy C-USA Preview

The 2020 Rice Football Season Preview

This 160-page publication details everything you could imagine about Rice Football. It includes insight on the entire Rice roster as well with commentary on all 110 players on the active roster. From there the scope widens to breakdowns of every Conference USA team and all four of the Owls’ non-conference opponents. Each profile was compiled with the help from local experts who cover that beat on a daily basis with timely transfer information and any available spring updates.

As one Rice administrator dubbed it:
it’s the bible for Rice Football fans.

Get answers to questions like “Who has the leg up in the Rice quarterback battle?” or “Which incoming players could make the biggest impact?” or “Who are the top returning players Rice will face in Conference USA?”

This year’s edition included a feature story based on an interview with Athletic Director Joe Karlgaard. In the piece, we discuss how he evaluates head coach Mike Bloomgren’s coaching tenure.

The 2020 Conference USA Football Season Preview

The complete contents of the Conference USA Preview are contained within the Rice Preview. This 72-page guide includes everything Conference USA fans need to know for the upcoming season. Every team in the conference has a four-page profile. These profiles including coaching notes, pressing questions and the major storylines each squad faces this season. It also includes roster breakdowns with profiles on the biggest incoming and outgoing players.

No preview would be complete without the numbers, and this one has those in bunches. Each team section includes Conference USA metrics, returning production notes and analysis as well as stat lines for every returning player. There’s also a more detailed review of the conference’s top returning players for each major statistic. And it’s all at your fingertips rather than a dozen google searches away.

The Conference USA Preview omits the Rice-specific content like the position and player breakdowns, rising stars and more. Most Rice fans would prefer the Rice Preview whereas fans of other C-USA schools might prefer this version.

What are people saying about the Previews?

Don’t just take our word for it. Here’s what people are saying:

  • “The Roost’s C-USA preview has been an indispensable resource for me as I make my preparations for this season.”
  • “I just spent 30 minutes going through it, but barely skimmed the surface. It’s a great way to learn the new players.
  • “I don’t know any preview that could be more detailed than that.”
  • “This is worth spending the money on. Best you will get for CUSA”
  • “I liked everything.”

Want more?

You can always find additional Rice Football and Conference USA Football content on the website. If you enjoy the Preview and want to get further involved, consider supporting us on Patreon or check out The Roost Shop. Our subscribers get exclusive content ranging from recruiting and practice updates to special analysis. For starters, they got a copy of the Preview for free!

Buy Rice Preview
Buy C-USA Preview
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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Rice Women’s Basketball: How long can Rice keep Tina Langley?

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Tina Langley has been the catalyst for growth Rice Women’s Basketball needed. How long will she be on the sidelines of Tuder Fieldhouse?

Rice women’s basketball has experienced an unprecedented run of success in the past several seasons. Tina Langley is responsible for much of that success.  The former Maryland assistant has become a titan in Houston, recruiting elite talent and taking Rice back to the NCAA Tournament.

Athletic Director Joe Karlgaard wisely gave her a five-year contract extension following the NCAA Tourney berth. From the Owls’ perspective, Langley can stay as long as she’d like.

The Rice men’s team is more recently familiar with losing a head coach to another job. Mike Rhoades parlayed a CBI Quarterfinal appearance and a  23-12 record to take the VCU job in 2017. The women hope to avoid a similar fate.

The Roost Podcast: Listen now to our Extended Offseason Interview Series

Prior to Rice, Langley had spent much of her coaching career on the Eastern side of the county. She served as an assistant at Toledo, Clemson and Georgia before heading to Maryland. Her five-year run in Texas is the furthest Southwest she’s coached.

Her previous geography and her success at Rice have elevated her status in the coaching community. That recognition could have its ramifications. This past week, now former Duke Women’s Basketball head coach Joanne P. McCallie resigned. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Langley was among the names floated around as a potential replacement by multiple sources.

Langley doesn’t seem to be the type of coach who would jump at just any job. She spent five years at Toledo and seven at Maryland. People matter to her, but so does education.

If just any other Power 5 program came calling, Langley’s adoration of the Rice administration, academics and culture she’s helped build would help the Owls withstand their advances. But Duke, like few others, can rival the academic power Rice wields. That’s not to say Langley would be out the door if or when the Blue Devils come calling, but she might be willing to listen. She’s earned that right. Rice Athletics had no official comment.

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Rice Basketball: 2021 Guard Jaden Geron commits to Owls

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The 2021 Rice Basketball recruiting class has doubled in size. Guard Jarden Geron became the second player to commit to the Owls in this cycle.

Rice basketball has its second commitment of the 2021 class. 6-foot-7 shooting guard Jaden Geron from San Joaquin Memorial High School in Fresno, California has committed to Rice. He led San Joaquin to a 24-7 regular season record this past season.

Geron is the second commitment in the 2021 Rice Basketball Recruiting class. His addition comes roughly a month after fellow Californian forward Damion McDowell became the first commitment of the class.

The Owls were the first to get in on Geron, offering him in mid-April amid the now-normal virtual recruiting environment. UC San Diego followed a month later, but Rice had already made enough headway at that point to put themselves out in front.

After bringing in such a large 2020 class amidst the transfer churn, it’s likely the Owls have a smaller group for 2021. McDowell and Hargon will be the cornerstones of this group which probably has space left for just one more addition.

On the court, Geron is a finisher with an adept shooting stroke who can score from all three levels. His ability to push the pace and make plays at the rim should give Rice a versatile offensive threat with the ball in his hands.

As good as he is in close, he also has the range to pull up and knock down a three. At 175-pounds, he tends toward the lankier side, but should have a decent floor as a shooter as he develops at the next level.

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Rice Baseball: 2020 Summer Ball July 5 Update

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Current, former and incoming Rice baseball players are participating in Summer Ball leagues around the country. Here’s the latest on those Owls.

First a quick note on rosters. I’ve tracked down all players that I could find with listed statistics, but I know there are others playing ball this summer. If you come across information on anyone else associated with Rice baseball playing summer ball, please send it my way. You can leave it in the comments or send it to me some other way. Thanks!

Hitters

As for the players I was able to track down, the most impressive start has come from a player who has yet to suit up for Rice baseball. Incoming outfielder Guy Garibay has been smashing the baseball in the Texas Premier League. He’s 6-for-20 this summer, but almost all of his hits have gone for extra bases. He’s hitting with power to all fields, including this bomb to straight away center:

Of the current Owls, none have done much to impress so far in their limited action. Dominic Cox has amassed a .400 OBP, but has just two hits in nine games.

Hitting Stats

Pitchers

Pitchers have had fewer outings than the hitters. AC Plum currently sports a 0.00 ERA through three appearances. He’s gone five innings, striking out nine and allowing just two hits. We haven’t seen much from him at Reckling thus far, but a solid summer will only help his chances to get on the bump. Brandon Deskins has yet to give up a hit in three innings, working 3.1 innings with nine strikeouts.

Pitching Stats

*All stats as of July 4 taken from league and team websites.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep. 40 – Louisiana Tech Football Preview with Ben Carlisle

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The Roost Podcast welcomes Ben Carlisle, who covers Louisiana Tech football for Bleed Tech Blue to breakdown expectations for the Bulldogs this fall.

Rice Football opponent previews continue this week with our fourth Conference USA guest. To this point, we’ve had discussions with folks that cover UAB, UTEP and Southern Miss. This week we welcomed our friend Ben Carlisle who runs Bleed Tech Blue to give us the inside scoop on Louisiana Tech football.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. All of the Conference USA team shows are there as well as the beginning of our Extended Offseason Series. That features popular Rice alums like Anthony Rendon, Christian Covington and James Casey, among others. For now, give a listen to our chat with Ben on Episode 40.

Episode 40 Notes

  • Housekeeping — This week only: Leave us a five-star review and include what you like about the show and you’ll be entered to win a copy of either the Rice or Conference USA Season Preview. Also, make sure you follow Ben Carlisle and Bleed Tech Blue and let them know you enjoyed having him on the pod.
  • Subscribe on Patreon — If you enjoy the site and want to be a part of what we’re building at The Roost, please consider supporting us on Patreon. ]
  • COVID-19 updates — The Ivy League is reportedly considering delaying their football season to the spring. How might that impact football in the South this fall?
  • Ben Carlisle joins the show — Ben shares his insight on Louisiana Tech football under Skip Holtz and what to expect from the Bulldogs in 2020, including:
    • Debating “What could have been” had J’Mar Smith and others not been suspended last season
    • The uncertain quarterback situation without spring football
    • How Louisiana Tech hopes to integrate a new defensive coordinator
    • What returning faces could see bigger roles next season
    • The Lightning Round

Where can you find us?

Download and subscribe to The Roost Podcast on any of your favorite podcast providers. The show is available on iTunes, GooglePlay, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and PodBean. Please consider leaving a review wherever you listen.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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