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Official: Rice Athletics to join AAC on July 1, 2023

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UPDATE: On Wednesday, June 15 Rice officially announced it will join the AAC on July 1, 2023.

— Friday, June 10 —

The AAC announced the formal exit of Houston, Cincinnati and UCF opening the door for Rice Athletics to move into the conference in 2023.

The AAC brought college football realignment back to the forefront of the national narrative on Friday morning when they announced Houston, Cincinnati and UCF would be leaving the conference to join the Big XII on July 1, 2023. That move directly impacts Rice, enabling the Owls to move into those vacated seats in the AAC soon.

So, what’s next?

Rice Athletic Director Joe Karlgaard released this statement on Friday afternoon:

“The agreement reached between the American Athletic Conference and its three departing members allows us to formally begin the process of joining the American in the near future. We remain proud members of Conference USA for the 2022-23 academic year, and anticipate releasing more information on our transition to the American in the near future.”

While that statement doesn’t explicitly mention any transition dates, sources confirm to The Roost the intention remains for Rice to join the AAC in 2023, following the conclusion of the 2022-23 academic year which Karlgaard mentions in the release above.

Roost Pod: AAC introductions with Fear The Wave

That timeline is further corroborated by several of the fellow soon-to-be-former Conference USA members which will be making the move with the Owls. Charlotte came out almost immediately following the news, issuing a declaration of their intent to join the AAC in 2023.

FAU followed suit as did UTSA. Like Rice, North Texas and UAB and each released more general statements of their intent to make the move “soon”. Per Brett McMurphy, each of the six schools must inform Conference USA of their intention to leave for the AAC by Wednesday, June 15.

The next steps seem like a formality at this point, but it remains good news for Rice, regardless. This week Rice will formalize its intention to leave Conference USA and join the American.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 112 – AAC Introductions with Fear the Wave

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Rice will soon move to the AAC. Kelly Comarda from Fear the Wave helps orient the Owls to their new conference, talks rivalries and more.

At some point in the not-so-distant future, Rice Athletics will join the AAC. When that time comes, the Owls will have revised schedules across all sports featuring some familiar faces that were once Conference USA foes and a few new faces. In order to get caught up on the league’s new look, understand dynamics and start some trash talk, Carter and Matthew sat down this week with Kelly Comarda from Fear The Wave.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 112.

Episode Notes

Housekeeping

  • Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice. Every little bit helps.
  • Please support us on Patreon. Be the first to get the inside scoop on what’s going on with Rice football and stick around for even further analysis. That includes updates from spring practices and more. Your support matters and makes The Roost better.
    Become a Patron!

Interview — Fear the Wave’s Kelly Comarda

  • Getting to Know the new AAC
  • Buying into the Power 6 slogan
  • New and existing rivalries in the conference
  • Who fills the power vacuum left by the departing programs?
  • Baseball, basketball and other league sports
  • Where will Rice fit in with Tulane and the rest of the conference?

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.

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How does new president impact Rice Athletics? — Patreon Q&A

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Change is coming on the administrative front. The May 2022 Patreon Q&A focuses on the Owls’ incoming president and how he might impact Rice Athletics.

This month’s Patreon Q&A focuses on incoming university president Reginald DesRoches and his attitude towards Rice Athletics. More specifically, what will his impact be on the athletic programs? Will he be more supportive? What will that look like?

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For those checking in for the first time, or those returning, a quick programming note. Special features like this are reserved for our subscribers. Have questions? You can get those answered in our monthly Q&As and get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and features like this one when you subscribe on Patreon today.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 111 – Rice basketball guard Carl Pierre

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Former Rice basketball guard Carl Pierre joins the show this week to talk about his time at South Main and what’s next for him in his basketball career.

One of the most productive shooters on this past season’s Rice basketball squad, Carl Pierre made his lone season at South Main a productive one. He set the program record for the most made threes in a single season (97) and led Conference USA in three-point shooting percentage. We caught up with Pierre on this week’s show, discussing what’s next for him in his basketball journey and reliving some memories from his time at Rice.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 111.

Episode Notes

Housekeeping

  • Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice. Every little bit helps.
  • Please support us on Patreon. Be the first to get the inside scoop on what’s going on with Rice football and stick around for even further analysis. That includes updates from spring practices and more. Your support matters and makes The Roost better.
    Become a Patron!

Interview — Former Rice Basketball guard Carl Pierre

  • Pierre’s journey to Rice
  • The Transfer Portal
  • His season at South Main, from the highs to the lows
  • Funniest teammates
  • Personal accolades and records
  • What’s next for him professionally?

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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Rice Basketball Recruiting: Nevada transfer Alem Huseinović commits to Owls

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The Transfer Portal continues to help supplement the 2022 Rice Basketball recruiting class. Nevada transfer Alem Huseinović has committed to the Owls.

As soon as the final buzzer sounded and the offseason began, Rice basketball recruiting and roster management took center stage. #GreenLightU will always be on the lookout for talented shooting guards, clear

Huseinović spent the last two seasons with the Nevada Wolfpack where he appeared in 43 games. Last He averaged 8.3 minutes per game last season, scoring a season-high eight points against George Mason in November. That usage was up slightly from the 7.6 minutes per game he averaged as a true freshman the year before.

Prior to that, he played his high school ball in Arizona, but it was his international exploits that helped put him on the radar. Huseinović led the Bosnia national team to a championship game appearance in the U16 European Championships, an experience Huseinović called “something that I’ll never forget” adding that it helped him learn “how to play on big stages and learn how to play more mature at a young age.”

When he hit the Transfer Portal, Huseinović drew interest from teams across the country. His recruiting would boil down to Rice, Rider, UC Riverside, Southern Utah, NJIT and NAU. He picked the Owls primarily because of the culture and his fit in the scheme deployed by head coach Scott Pera.

Huseinović sees himself as “a guard who can shoot it and create for myself while making others around me better by creating for them”, all skills that would seem to make him a great fit for the Owls shooting-intensive style.

The second addition from the Transfer Portal during this cycle, Huseinović joins forward Seryee Lewis who announced his transfer from Kansas Stater earlier this spring. You can follow all offseason roster moves with our Rice basketball recruiting and roster tracker here.

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