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The Roost Podcast | Ep 74 – Rice Football and C-USA mailbag

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We reached out to the masses for this week’s mailbag show, with topics ranging from Rice football recruiting, Conference USA towns and tacos.

Our offseason interview series took a brief pause this week. Instead, we asked our listeners what they wanted to hear about, and the range of topics did not disappoint. There’s a chance several Conference USA fan bases will have an opinion on which school has the best town in the conference. If you do, make sure to give the podcast a follow on Twitter and chime in.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 74.

Episode Notes

  • Housekeeping
    • Plan on hearing more from The Roost Podcast in your feed every other week as we continue our interview series. We’ll have some returning guests and hopefully a few new Owls to talk with over the next few months.
    • 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 our debriefing series on spring football, recruiting news and more.
      Become a Patron!
  • Rice Athletics and Conference USA mailbag 
    • Why doesn’t Rice use the great success of women’s sports as a springboard to join a better conference such as the Big 12 or ACC?
    • Who’s stepping up to help fill the loss of Blaze Alldredge?
    • Rank your top-5 C-USA cities outside of Houston.
    • Is Rice recruiting any legacy kids? Why or why not?
    • What’s the best taco shop in Houston?
    • What impact will COVID-19 have on the 2021 football season?

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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Will Rice women’s basketball win without Tina Langley? All-American Q&A

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All-American Level subscribers on Patreon get access to a monthly Q&A with me. This update focuses on Rice women’s basketball and their new coach.

Q. Tina Langley was one of the best coaches Rice Athletics has ever had. Had it not been for COVID and a bad game in the 2021 C-USA Tournament, it’s possible Rice could have made three NCAA Tournament appearances with her direction. The new hire seems strong, but can Rice realistically maintain anywhere near this level of consistency?

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A. What Tina Langley accomplished for Rice women’s basketball was incredible. I won’t reiterate the entire list of accolades, which most of you are probably already familiar with anyhow, but to win 49-of-54 conference games (91 percent) is unbelievable at any level of collegiate athletics, and any sport, for that matter. So what does life for Rice look like after Langley?

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Rice Women’s Basketball coach Lindsay Edmonds ready to bring tempo, focus to South Main

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Rice women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Edmonds was formally introduced this week and by all accounts, seems like a tremendous fit with the Owls.

After nearly a decade as an assistant at NC State, newly appointed Rice women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Edmonds is ready for her next adventure. Athletic Director Joe Karlgaard formally introduced Edmonds in a virtual press conference on Monday, crediting his most recent hire as a candidate that “embodies every characteristic that we were looking for.”

Karlgaard spoke up Edmonds as a person who cared deeply about her players both on and off the court. Edmonds reaffirmed those truisms. stating multiple times in the brief sessions that she was seeking to find and develop the “total-package player,” one who values basketball, academics and personal growth.

But before she could get there, she had to make the decision to step out of her current role and embrace the Owls. “Leaving a great place is hard,” she said of her roots at NC State, “but coming to a great place is a pretty easy decision.”

Recalling her first visit to campus, Edmonds elaborated, “It became very clear, pretty quickly that Rice truly is a special place,” being sure to include a reassuring, definitive opening to her remarks, “I am very honored to be the next coach here at Rice University.”

When it came to specifics, Edmonds’ intentions were crystal clear. Off the court, she plans to prioritize building relationships with her current roster and hiring the right staff, something she emphasized as being a critical factor as a first-time head coach.

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On the court, she talked about tempo and pace, getting the ball out in transition to score. Whereas former head coach Tina Langley built her brand on ball control and tenacious defense, Edmonds seems to lean towards a more aggressive style, although she did mention a focus on rebounding and defense as well.

We’ll see Edmonds and her team on the court soon enough. For now, the important work of finding the right person for the job has been done. Edmonds aced the interview. Now she’s tasked with taking up the baton and continuing onward.

“I’m really excited about where the program is at, “she said. “I’m excited to continue on that and would love to take it a step forward.”

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Rice Soccer 2021: Owls set for NCAA Tournament run

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Rice soccer is NCAA Tournament bound. After winning the Conference USA Tournament, the Owls now have their opponent and destination set.

For the fifth time in program history, Rice soccer is headed to the NCAA Tournament. The Owls formally punched their ticket on Saturday, defeating Charlotte at Holloway Field to secure Conference USA’s automatic bid. The victory capped off a tremendous regular season for the Owls, who one-upped the preseason polls, which tabbed them to finish second in the West.

Rice landed four players on the All-Tournament team, led by tournament Offensive MVP Delaney Schultz and Defensive MVP Mijke Roelfsema. Caleigh Boeckx and Rebecca Keane were also honored.

The tournament accolades served as subtle reminders of the Owls’ progress this season. Prior to the start of the week, Rice earned a No. 25 ranking in the United Soccer Coaches Poll. Everything seemed to be coming together at the right time.

With the hard work done, Rice soccer waited over the weekend to find out who and where they’ll be playing next. Complete brackets were announced on Monday.

Rice will face Furman in the first round, the alma mater of current Owls’ head coach Brian Lee. The game is scheduled for Wednesday, April 28 at 3 p.m. The winner will advance to play 5-Seed West Virginia.

In light of COVID-19 concerns, all tournament games will take place in the state of North Carolina this year. Local universities like Campbell, East Carolina, UNC Wilmington, UNC Greensboro and Wake Forest will serve as host sites with additional off-campus facilities available as well. The Tournament kicks off on April 27 and will run through the national championship game on May 17.

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Rice Volleyball: COVID-19 ends Owls’ NCAA Tournament early

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Rice volleyball will not participate in the NCAA Tournament. The Owls’ opening-round game has been canceled because of COVID-19 protocols.

When the brackets were announced, Rice volleyball erupted with elation. Despite falling in the Conference USA Tournament Championship Game, the Owls’ body of work had earned them an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament. Months of hard work had paid off with the chance to compete for a national title.

And then late Wednesday night, that chance was unceremoniously ripped away.

A positive COVID-19 test within the Rice program forced the cancelation of the Owls’ opening-round game against N.C. A&T.  The Division I Women’s Volleyball Committee released a brief statement shortly after the scheduled start time of the match.

“The NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Committee has declared the Rice-N.C. A&T match for Wednesday night at the CHI Health Center Omaha convention center a no-contest because of COVID-19 protocols. As a result, N.C. A&T will advance to the next round of the tournament. The NCAA and the committee regret that Rice student-athletes and coaching staff will not be able to play in a tournament in which they earned the right to participate. Because of privacy issues we cannot provide further details.”

Rice arrived on Sunday for pre-match practices. Given a favorable draw and a head-to-head win over Texas already under their belt, the Owls had high expectations entering the week. Unfortunately, those hopes will not be realized this season.

Rice has since released a pair of statements:

“I’m heartbroken for our players, coaches, and support staff,” Rice Director of Athletics Joe Karlgaard said. “They’ve worked so hard this spring playing through difficult circumstances. Even with this terrible news, I want them to remember they’ve had a really terrific season. Rice is proud of who they are and what they’ve accomplished this year.”

“We are devastated that we won’t be able to compete in the NCAA Tournament this year,” AVCA South Region Coach of the Year Genny Volpe said. “This team deserved it, earning an at-large bid in a 48-team field and has so much to be proud of. It certainly is painful to see how much the team wanted to compete and to have to break the news to them that they couldn’t play. To compete in this tournament meant so much to all of us. Although this is a very sad moment, we know safety is the number one priority. We will be back stronger than ever. Rice Fight Never Dies.”

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