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2019 PF Zach Crisler commits to Owls

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The 2019 Rice basketball recruiting class picked up a big commitment, adding power forward Zach Crisler from LaSalle College to the fold.

The football program has been busy adding to their numbers this fall, but Rice basketball is busy on the recruiting trail too. The Owls picked up a commitment from preferred walk-on Ben Moffat in August. Now they have their first scholarship commitment — Zach Crisler has verbally committed to the Owls.

Crisler is 6-foot-9, 205 pounds. The stretch forward will be a weapon on both ends of the floor for the Owls. He averaged more than 10 points per game in his junior season and continues to improve his skills on the offensive glass.

The power forward from LaSalle College in Pennsylvania picked Rice over offers from Penn State, TCU, Columbia, St. Joe’s and others. Landing a player of Crisler’s caliber out of the northeast is one thing, but beating out a pair of Power 5 programs is even more significant. TCU was in the NCAA Tournament last season and Penn State was on the bubble before winning the 2018 NIT.

As things currently stand, Crisler would be one of the higher rated recruits that Scott Pera has ever landed. Bringing him into the fold, plus Moffat and a few additional signees could make for an impressive 2019 class. Crisler alone is a good start, and his commitment has made an impact on where the Owls stand in the 2019 ranks.

Crisler pushes the Owls up to No. 2 in the Conference USA recruiting rankings. UTSA, Rice and Charlotte each have one three-star recruit in the fold with the Roadrunners’ commit rating slightly higher than the Owls’ new addition. It’s early in the race for all of these schools, but Rice is currently playing from the front.

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2019 Forward Ben Moffat commits to Owls

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Head Coach Scott Pera and Rice basketball have picked up a commitment from 2019 forward Ben Moffat, a priority walk-on from Wichita Falls, Tx.

The football season is quickly approaching but that hasn’t given Rice basketball head coach Scott Pera any time to rest. The Owls have only recently returned from a tour of Spain in which they won three exhibition games, including a victory over NBA star Ricky Rubio. It didn’t take Pera long after coming back to the states to start adding to his 2019 recruiting class.

Ben Moffatt, a 6-foot-8 forward from Rider High School in Wichita Falls, Tx announced his decision in favor of the Owls on Twitter on Tuesday evening.

https://twitter.com/ben__moffat/status/1032036393692934148

Moffat asserted the decision to commit to Rice was “an easy choice” to make. He pointed at the stellar academic reputation combined with a supportive community. “The coaches stress the importance of being involved with the Rice fans and the campus community,” Moffat said. He’s ready to join that community and willing to work hard for his spot on the court.

Rather than playing under an athletic scholarship, Moffat will be a priority walk-on for the Owls next season. That’s a challenge he’s ready to face. “Every player has to work hard,” Moffat explained, “but as a  walk-on, I’ll need to work harder than anybody else. I need to be the first one at practice and the last one to leave, and that’s something I’m prepared to do.

Last season Moffat averaged 8.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. He has his eyes set on improving each of those numbers his senior year before joining the Owls in 2019. Hopefully alongside a recruiting class that has several spots still to be filled before the class is complete.

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