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Rice Football Recruiting: Flurry of offers go out at 2021 Junior Day

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Several new offers were handed out over the weekend to prospective members of the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class. Here’s a rundown of Junior Day.

Entering the weekend, the offer list for the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class was extremely short:

Wyatt Begeal – QB – Cibolo Steele (TX)
Mason Tharp – TE – Klein (TX)
DJ Arkansas – LB – Denton Ryan (TX)
Bryce McMorris – DB – Bridgeland (TX)

The Owls expanded that shortlist to 14 names, offering these additional 10 players.

Jordon Vaughn – RB – Manvel (TX)
Bryson Reeves – WR – St. Francis (CA)
De’Kedrick Sterns – OL – Del Valle (TX)
Jacoby Jackson – OL – Mansfield Summit (TX)
Davis McKenna – OL – Marist (GA)
Remington Strickland – OL – Fort Bend Christian Academy (TX)
Aidan Siano – LB – Prosper (TX)
Kenny Seymour – LB – Fort Bend Marshall (TX)
Placide Djungu-Sungu – Saf – Arlington Martin (TX)
Trevor Woods – Saf – Katy Taylor (TX)

The crop of offensive line offers is an important place to start. Rice needs to get depth up front and they’re looking to make sure that depth has plenty of upside. Each of the four offers has prototypical size with room to grow: Jacoby Jackson is 6-foot-5.5, 306 pounds, Davis KcKenna is 6-foot-5, 275 pounds, Remington Strickland is 6-foot-3, 294 pounds and De’Kedrick Sterns is 6-foot-4, 250 pounds.

Jordan Vaugh is extremely versatile and could slot in several places. Rice likes him at running back. Bryson Reeves has much-needed size (6-foot-3, 185 pounds) at the wide receiver position. Rice was the first to offer both of those guys, and first on six of their 10 offers over the weekend. They’ve developed a proven track record of identifying talent rather and they stuck too that this weekend.

On defense, Rice absolutely loves this group of linebackers offers. Kenny Seymour and Aidan Siano, along with DJ Arkansas, all look like potential game changers at the position. Seymour is built like a truck and plays downhill. Siano has a nose for the football and great pursuit.

Woods and Djunu-Sungu round out the new offers in the secondary. Both are potential safety prospects who would be excellent fits in Brian Smith’s defense.

At this point last year, Rice had handed out a few offers for their 2020 class, prioritizing their first wave of selections. Plae Wyatt was the first to jump on board, committing to Rice at the end of February. The groundwork Rice laid this weekend was significant. Don’t be surprised if the Owls’ first commitment of the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class was in this wave.

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Rice Basketball 2020 Game Preview: Men at North Texas

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Rice Basketball is on the final leg of a three-game road trip, in need of a win when they visit North Texas for a Monday night contest.

Time: 7:00 p.m. CT
Venue: The Super Pit
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: ESPN+ (If you don’t have ESPN+ you can access a free trial or subscribe here.)

North Texas 11-8 (5-1), Last 5 (5-0)

  • 67-64 (W) at Marshall
  • 74-56 (W) vs FIU
  • 81-58 (W) vs FAU
  • 72-52 (W) at Southern Miss
  • 51-50 (W) at Louisiana Tech

Rice 9-10 (1-5), Last 5 (1-4)

  • 66-61 (L) at WKU
  • 81-76 (L) vs FAU
  • 92-78 (W) vs FIU
  • 72-56 (L) at LA Tech
  • 81-68 (L) at Southern Miss

North Texas statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Umoja Gibson – 14.2 per game
  • Rebounds | Deng Geu – 6.3 per game
  • Assists | Javion Hamlet – 4.7 per game
  • Steals | Umoja Gibson – 1.82per game
  • Blocks | Deng Geu – 0.9 per game

Rice keys to victory

Rice needs to play defense. The Owls haven’t held a D1 opponent below 40 percent from the field since they topped East Carolina in the Bahamas Showcase during Thanksgiving week. Sporadic shooting performances of their own have been enough to get a few wins here and there, but the vast majority of the outcomes have been determined by the Owls’ lack of focus on the defensive end of the court.

Once they’ve sorted that out, they’ll need to find consistency from scorers not named Trey Murphy. Drew Peterson and Josh Parrish have had their moments, but getting a trio of players rolling at the same time has been a challenge. North Texas has a middle of the pack scoring offense, but a stingy defense.

Rice has the firepower to win a slugfest, but they’re going to have to put all the pieces together. Doing that at home has been tough, making for a potential statement opportunity on the road against a surging North Texas squad.

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Rice Basketball: Loss to Southern Miss a gut punch to Owls

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For the first time this season, Southern Miss has won a Conference USA game thanks to an ineffective road showing by Rice Basketball.

Rice basketball began the season with a 50 point drubbing on the road at Arkansas. Then they responded with four straight wins, including a come-from-behind 22-point bounce back on the road against UC Santa Barbara. The strange start left opened the door to an array of questions, first and foremost, what is this team going to be? Almost three months later, we still don’t know.

Unfortunately, the Owls’ most recent outing answer more of those questions than they might have wanted. The 4-win Golden Eagles led the Owls for the vast majority of regulation, eventually ratcheting their advantage into the double digits, a familiar feeling for the Owls in recent weeks. After starting the season 8-4, Rice basketball sits at a gut-wrenching 9-10.

At the onset, this game felt a lot like Rice football’s road game against UTSA. In that contest, the Owls were perceived to be the team with the advantage and were playing a game they felt like they should win — in some ways needed to win. Instead, the downtrodden Owls let the struggling Roadrunners do more or less whatever they wanted, scratching yet another mark in a growing loss column. The basketball team can now relate.

Southern Miss had lost seven consecutive games to teams not named Tougaloo (an NAIA squad that scored 77 on the Golden Eagles just before Christmas). Rice lost 81-68. Nothing went right. Drew Peterson fouled out. Ako Adams had zero points, going 0-for-7 from the floor. Rice shot 25.7 percent from three.

What happens will go a long way toward determining the fate of this season. The football team used the pain of the UTSA loss to rally, ending the season on a high note. Rice basketball hopes to rise from the depths in much the same way.

Final Stats

Player of the game – Trey Murphy

Trey Murphy seems to have found his shooting stroke. After making two or fewer three-pointers in four of five games, Murphy has combined to make 10 from deep in the Owls’ last two contests. He’s had back-to-back 20 point games, adding 6-of-7 free throws, five rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal against Southern Miss. If Rice basketball is going to get back on track, Murphy will be a catalyst.

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Rice Basketball 2020 Game Preview: Men and Women vs Southern Miss

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Rice Basketball is five games into conference play with the men 1-4 and the women 5-0. Both teams take on Southern Miss next. Here’s a preview of those games.

Rice Basketball

Time: 2:00 p.m. CT
Venue: Reed Green Coliseum
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: ESPN+ (If you don’t have ESPN+ you can access a free trial or subscribe here.)

Southern Miss 4-14 (0-5), Last 5 (0-5)

  • 80-49 (L) vs LA Tech
  • 78-50 (L) at LA Tech
  • 76-64 (L) at UTEP
  • 80-70 (L) at UTSA
  • 72-52 (L) vs North Texas

Rice 9-9 (1-4), Last 5 (1-4)

  • 89-69 (L) at Marshall
  • 66-61 (L) at WKU
  • 81-76 (L) vs FAU
  • 92-78 (W) vs FIU
  • 72-56 (L) at LA Tech

Southern Miss statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Gabe Watson – 13.3 per game
  • Rebounds | Leonard Harper-Baker – 7.3 per game
  • Assists | Jay Malone – 4.0 per game
  • Steals | Leonard Harper-Baker – 1.8 per game
  • Blocks | Leonard Harper-Baker – 0.3 per game

Rice keys to victory

Southern Miss has plagued by poor offensive possessions all season. It’s not just a shooting issue — Southern Miss is middle of the pack there — it’s the turnovers. The Golden Eagles are 13th in C-USA in turnover margin and have just one game of fewer than 30 turnovers in their last eight contests. Rice will get opportunities. They’ll have to take advantage of them.

Rice Women's Basketball

Time: 2:00 p.m. CT
Venue: Tudor Fieldhouse
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: CUSA TV

Southern Miss 11-4 (3-1), Last 5 (4-1)

  •  71-59 (W) vs Faulkner
  • 66-60 (W) vs LA Tech
  • 89-72 (L) vs UTEP
  • 82-65 (W) vs UTSA
  • 66-57 (W) at North Texas

Rice 10-6 (5-0), Last 5 (5-0)

  • 81-43 (W) vs Marshall
  • 73-65 (W) vs WKU
  • 78-69 (W) at FAU
  • 68-47 (W) at FIU
  • 60-47 (W) vs LA Tech

Southern Miss statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Shonte Hailes – 16.9 per game
  • Rebounds | Respect Leaphart – 5.5 per game
  • Assists | Daishai Almond – 3.7 per game
  • Steals | Alarie Mayze – 2.3 per game
  • Blocks | Amber Landing – 1.8 per game

Rice keys to victory

The defensive end of the court will continue to be the bedrock of this team, especially if Erica Ogwumike sits another game — a distinct possibility. Southern Miss shoots the ball well but hasn’t played a team with the same level of intensity that Rice will bring on defense. North Texas was a good test for them. The Mean Green held the Golden Eagles to 65 points, their lowest total in C-USA play.

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Rice Women’s Basketball: Owls top LA Tech with Ogwumike sidelined

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Rice Women’s Basketball was without their star guard but still managed to blow past Louisiana Tech. The Owls are a perfect 5-0 in Conference USA play.

Rice women’s basketball had won in a variety of ways on their way to a C-USA leading 24-game winning streak. They’d blown out countless teams and played close contests with others. But they’d never won without their best player on the court — they hadn’t had to.

The white and blue-clad Owls showed no timidity when they took the court without Erica Ogwumike on Thursday night against Louisiana Tech. The senior guard had suffered an injury against FIU that kept her sidelined against Louisiana Tech. She did not dress for the game and has no official timetable on her return. However, the expectation remains she’ll be back sooner rather than later.

If that wasn’t enough, the team was hit with sickness during the week. Rice dressed a half dozen players for their first practice of the week and had to send coaches and players home to rest. “We were barely able to practice,” head coach Tina Langely said postgame, not as an excuse, but as a credit to the performance her shorthanded squad had put together against a conference foe.

With Ogwumike out, there were some jitters. Rice had a few shot clock violations and lost possessions early on, clearly impacted by the loss of their primary ballhandler. What never wavered was their defense. Rice has now held 15 of their last 24 (and three of their last five) C-USA opponents to 50 points or fewer. Louisiana Tech shot a season-low 26 percent from the field.

“I love the pride that they take on the defensive end of the floor. I think it speaks to the character of our team.” Langely said. “Defense is about your heart and your effort and you don’t usually get a lot of credit from the defensive end of the floor as individuals. And you see our team really comes together and gives all that they have to defend well.”

That defense turned into just enough offense. Rice scored 13 points on fast breaks, relying on Jasmine Smith and Destiny Jackson to push the team down the court. Once the team stretched the lead to double digits at halftime, Louisiana Tech never got closer than eight for the remainder of the game.

Final Stats

Player of the game – Sydne Wiggins

On a night in which only two Owls reached double-digit points, it was the defensive performers who stood out. Nancy Mulkey registered her 200th career block and a career-best 15 rebounds, but it was the furious play of Sydne Wiggins that stood out the most. She was relentless on that side of the court, registering one steal, two blocks and plenty of headaches for the Owls’ opponent. Langley praised her focus, “She plays with such poise,” Langely said, “[She] has a great IQ. She brings so much to the court for us.” With Ogwumike on the bench, Wiggins was a much-needed energizer.

Up Next

Saturday they host Southern Miss with tip-off scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Then the team gets a few days off before a Thursday/Friday road trip to play UTEP and UTSA.

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