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Rice Basketball: Owls ready for next step in 2020 and beyond

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Rice basketball is headed in the right direction and Scott Pera has been tasked with turning that momentum into meaningful results in 2020 and beyond.

Seven. Thirteen. Fifteen. The gradual improvement of the Rice basketball team under head coach Scott Pera can be measured in a somewhat linear fashion. On the most rudimentary metric, wins, Pera’s squad has shown tangible improvement following his first year at Rice in 2017.

Rice finished 15-17 this past season, one win away from a .500 record. “I’m excited about where we’re going with this,” Pera said with passion, knowingly declaring a truth he believes runs much deeper than the win column could ever dictate. That’s because Pera came to Rice with the long game in mind.

Refusing to cut corners and committed to building things “the right way”, Pera has stuck to his guns this far. He’s endeavored to build a program rooted in players who love the challenge Rice affords, who know how to win and who are committed to working each and every day to get better. It sounds a bit like coach-speak, but there’s rich truth behind those ideals.

“Character counts in this business,” Pera declared, stressing culture and process over instant gratification. He believes that gratification isn’t far off.

“We’re close,” he said detailing the next few hurdles he sees in front of his team. For Pera, he views those next steps as establishing the program as a top-five finisher in the conference, one that always makes the Conference USA Tournament and routinely wins a few games in Frisco. Yes, a championship is the end goal, but Pera is committing to charting the course to get there, and then get back again, and again.

To get there takes building blocks that go beyond the box score. The maturity of the roster as a whole is something Pera routinely evaluates. He’s not afraid to step aside and let the leaders in the locker room lead. The Owls have reached a point in their development that Pera has full confidence they know the kind of self-talk they need to motivate themselves, even midgame.

More: Erica Ogwumike talks end of season, Rice career on The Roost Podcast

That resolve was put on display frequently. Erratic defensive performances put the Owls in double-digit holes throughout the season but Rice lost just four conference games by 10 or more points. They won five by double-digit margins. In nonconference play, they overcame a 22-point deficit to beat UC Santa Barbara on the road.

On the bad shooting days, Rice struggled to keep pace with their better opponents. Nevertheless, it was rare for the Owls to enter the final quarter of play without a fighting chance to win. The worse results came on the road with Rice losing only one game at home (vs Sam Houston State) by more than eight points. More often than not Rice was competitive and that energy has staying power.

The Owls were inconsistent, but they never lacked effort. At times, they were undisciplined but they never quit. Those are makings of a team with the right mental makeup to take another developmental step.

There’s no doubt seniors Ako Adams and Robert Martin made a tremendous impact. But the poise and influence of sophomores like Drew Peterson, Trey Murphy and Chris Mullins project a mentality Pera believes he can build on. Peterson emerged as a bonafide leader this season, one of several faces to turn to in times of struggle.

“It’s a process, it’s a growth, it’s a vision that now is really, really exciting. We enter Year 4 with this group coming back,” Pera said. “I’m looking forward to seeing these guys make the next step.”

By his own standard, Pera’s team should be a contender in Conference USA next season. Whether or not they reach that mantel will be determined by their effort and focus from now until November. Pera will put in the work. If he can get his team to maintain his level of focus, the future of Rice basketball could be as bright as he believes it to be. Only time will tell.

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Rice Basketball: Robert Martin finds home as Owls’ sixth man

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Robert Martin found his role for Rice basketball midway through his senior season. How a switch to the bench paid off for Martin and his team.

Basketball is a game of adjustments. On the simplest level, each player strives to take their best shot. How that shot is executed — and who takes it — varies from series to series, game to game and season to season. What worked for a team in November isn’t always the best recipe by February. That’s the puzzle Rice Basketball and senior Robert Martin found themselves in this season.

Martin started nine of his first 10 games and had a decent amount of success. He scored a season-high 23 points with five three-pointers against Houston. That was part of a five-game run of double-digit points. But a six-point outing against Lamar in which he shot 1-for-10 from the field served as a reminder that things weren’t clicking quite at 100 percent for the Owls’ senior.

Then Martin made the bold decision to ask head coach Scott Pera to come off the bench rather than play from the starting lineup. It was Martin who approached Pera about the switch, not the other way around. “The fact that he would say that and think that could be beneficial to him and the team says a lot about him,” Pera said, recalling the conversation. “It just worked.”

The shift was almost instantaneous. Martin dropped 20 points against Houston Baptist in his first game after his starting streak ended. He scored in double-digits in 13 of his final 17 games from that point onward.

There was a mental shift in Martin that impacted how he played on the court. He shot 36.0 percent from the field in games he started and 49.6 percent when he came off the bench. He hit 27.1 of his three-point shots as a starter and 41.3 percent off the bench. Martin averaged slightly more assists (2.1 per game to 1.9) and fewer turnovers (1.5 per game to 2.1) in his new role compared to when he was starting. It was almost as if a switch had flipped.

More: Erica Ogwumike talks end of season, Rice career on The Roost Podcast

Martin’s mental pivot impacted his teammates. Shortly after he moved to the bench the team fell into a tough stretch, opening C-USA play 1-7.

“At this point, we really have nothing to lose. So I think that although all the pressures, the jitters, being nervous, we can kind of throw that all out the door,” Martin said following a heartbreaking home loss to UTEP. Rice would lose their next game to UTSA, but then things turned around.

Rice basketball knocked off C-USA’s eventual champion North Texas at home to begin a hot streak. They won six of their next eight games, clinching a spot in the conference tournament. The credit doesn’t belong to Martin alone, but his decision impacted the team in a big way.

Pera admitted he didn’t know how Martin was going to fit into the rotation at the beginning of the season. “I wasn’t a hundred percent sure which way it was gonna go. Were we going to start him? Weren’t we going to start him,” he recalled.

Ultimately Martin made the decision on his own. Pera supported him. It didn’t come to pass like either had drawn it up, but some plans require a bit of tinkering. Martin owes his strong finish to his senior season to a course correction that impacted everyone for the better.

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Rice Basketball: Young talent the backbone for future success

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Rice basketball wasn’t forced to rely too heavily on true freshman this season, giving the Owls younger players time to grow into their collegiate roles.

Rice basketball entered the 2019-2020 season with an established core of key players. No freshman was thrown to the wolves before he was ready. Instead each contributor had time to add weight, learn and gel into the rotation at their own pace.

Zach Crisler, Max Fielder and Quincy Olivari represent the future of Rice basketball. “All three of them have really high ceilings,” head coach Scott Pera said. “They’re really going to help us next year and in all their years here.”

Fiedler saw most of his action early on, cracking the starting lineup for the Bahamas showcase. He had three double-digit rebound games, providing much-needed size for the Owls on the inside. The decision to move to a smaller lineup, essentially inserting Josh Parris in place of Fiedler, saw his playing time diminish.

He finished the year with 23 appearances, averaging 2.4 points per game and 1.7 rebounds. He played more than 20 minutes once and never had many opportunities to get into a rhythm offensively. His value came from his interior presence.

Crisler’s usage was more sporadic. He saw a few minutes off the bench here and there, ramping up to an extended stretch in January where he started seven consecutive games. During that run, he averaged 4.0 points per game, scoring a career-high 11 points in the Owls’ upset of North Texas.

More: Erica Ogwumike talks end of season, Rice career on The Roost Podcast

There was a defined role on the court for Crisler through conference play. He wasn’t an integral piece but played meaningful minutes as a starter and off the bench. All that involvement should pay dividends toward his development going forward.

Olivari’s maturation was seemingly the most linear. He played in 30 of the Owls’ 32 games, becoming more and more involved as the season progressed. His shooting stroke off the bench was his primary contribution.

He averaged eight points a game in the Owls’ first four contests of the year despite playing 15 minutes or fewer in all of those games. From there he went from meaningful depth piece to a key cog of the bench, playing at least 14 minutes of the final 11 games, playing a career-high 28 minutes twice, one against Old Dominion and once against Middle Tennesse.

All three had their bright spots, reinforced by positive behaviors off the court. Pera praised their efforts, saying their first season was “‘a roller coaster for them in so many ways. I think all three of them experienced it. They handled it with great maturity.”

That trio, plus a new crop of recruits, make for an encouraging starting point for next season. Rice basketball has two signees in its 2020 class: forward Mylyjael Poteat and guard Cameron Sheffield. They are likely to add another player over the course of the next few months.

It takes talent and execution to win. The Owls are getting close to getting the right bodies to South Main. Now the hard part. Transforming raw ability into a cohesive squad.

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Rice Basketball bids goodbye to pair of senior leaders

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Rice basketball retains a young core, but they’ll miss the leadership of Ako Adams and Robert Martin on and off the court next season.

Year 3 of the Scott Pera era of Rice basketball featured a young team growing into their collective ability. The nucleus of the Owls’ 2019-2020 squad consisted of three sophomore guards: Trey Murphy, Drew Peterson and Chris Mullins. Seniors Ako Adams and Robert Martin were the elder statesmen with some freshman and various role players filling out a developing rotation.

The team felt like a work in progress for much of the season. Yet somehow the tandem of Adams and Martin always seemed to keep them from veering too far off course. Their leadership will be miss even more than their talents on the court.

“The growth that they showed, through everything not being how they wanted it and being perfect, to hang in there and continue to do the right things [was important],” head coach Scott Pera said of his departing senior class.

More: Erica Ogwumike talks end of season, Rice career on The Roost Podcast

Although he’d never draw attention to himself, Ako Adams leaves Rice basketball as one of the program’s most decorated players. He finished his career as the all-time program leader in three-point attempts, three points made, free throw percentage and games played. He finished 12th in assists, 17th in three-point field goal percentage and 28th in scoring.

Adams’ ability to understand the rhythm of the offense and flow within it might have been his most impressive skill. He didn’t rack up his record-breaking numbers with sheer volume. He shared the basketball and waited for good shots. All the while he was confident enough to step into big moments. Adams was never afraid to put a shot up from anywhere on the court.

Martin found his home as the Owls’ sixth man, averaging 11.8 points per game off the bench. He shot 34.4 percent from three and finished second on the team with 4.8 defensive rebounds per game.

That duo, along with occasional cameos from Tim Harrison, Addison Owen and Tommy McCarthy formed a senior class that was instrumental to the growth of the Rice basketball program.

“That’s kind of what I told the seniors in the locker room after the [Conference USA Tournament] game. [I told them] how much I appreciated how they helped this program grow,” head coach Scott Pera said. “They were part of the beginning blocks of building this program.”

Pera’s program has continued to take small steps in the right direction. He credits players like Adams and Martin with setting the course for the growing team. Pointed in the right direction, it will be up to their teammates to stay the course. The Rice seniors gave all that they could.

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Rice Basketball: Making sense of an up and down season

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From its rocky start to awkward ending, the 2019-2020 Rice Basketball season was a roller coaster ride. Coach Scott Pera believes the best is yet to come.

Rice basketball ended their 2019-2020 season sooner than they’d hoped. The Owls fell to the FIU Panthers in the first round of the Conference USA Tournament on Wednesday, March 11th. Rice boarded the busses and headed home.

Less than 12 hours later on Thursday, March 12, every other team in C-USA followed suit.

“It was obviously weird, bizarre,” head coach Scott Pera said of the sudden shutdown. “I didn’t see it heading this way quickly and that’s what happened.”

Safeguards against the coronavirus had forced the suspension of the NBA season while Pera’s team was still on the court, battling for what they believed was their season. Pera is still processing that.

“You wanted to be mad you lost, but it didn’t matter if you won… But if we had won the game, then it’s all like well, what if? What if? And I don’t want to feel any of that stuff either.”

More: Erica Ogwumike talks end of season, Rice career on The Roost Podcast

The weird end to the year parallels an up and down season. Rice basketball finished the year 15-17 (7-11), one victory shy of a .500 record. The Owls boasted a few impressive program firsts along the way.

Rice took down Penn, UCSB and ECU in non-conference play. The win over ECU was the program’s first over an AAC opponent. When conference play began, the Owls won on the road against UAB and Middle Tennessee for the first time in program history. They also topped C-USA regular season champion North Texas at Tudor Fieldhouse. Meanwhile, Ako Adams smashed through the Rice record books, leaving Rice with the most games played in program history.

Although the team was a touch more consistent than they had been in previous seasons, the low points were seemingly just as frequent. Rice went 0-3 against C-USA Tournament 11-Seed UTEP. Losses to Southern Miss and UTSA in the regular season pushed them into the bottom pod for bonus play.

After taking time to collect his thoughts after the season’s whirlwind finish, Pera is able to walk away with some sense of closure. “We played we lost. We had finality,” he said of the conference tournament.

Panning out further toward the season as a whole, Pera takes a more optimistic vantage point. “I have one major goal and purpose, and that is to continue to grow the program. That goal, in my mind, I think was undoubtedly accomplished,” Pera remarked. “Could we want a few more games? Sure, we could have… but it’s all part of the growth. I feel like we took a necessary step.”

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