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Rice Basketball Recruiting: C Stephen Giwa commits to Owls

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The first Transfer Portal addition of the incoming Rice basketball recruiting class is on board. Texas A&M Corpus Christi center Stephen Giwa has committed to the Owls.

Transfer Portal season is upon us, which means new faces for the incoming Rice basketball recruiting class. A few players have already announced their intentions to leave South Main, opening up spots for the program to bolster the roster for the upcoming year. The Owls kicked off this cycle with the addition of a nearby talent, landing a commitment from Corpus Christi center Stephen Giwa.

Giwa was born in Nigeria and moved to Houston at the age of 12, going to high school in the area before heading out of the city for school. Giwa told The Roost he considers himself a Houston native and is looking forward to returning home with his wife as they prepare to welcome their first child this summer.

Given the level of responsibilities Giwa already has on his plate, finding the right home for his final season of college ball was paramount. That’s where Rice entered the picture, making an impressive case to land his services.

“From the moment I met Coach Lanier and the staff, I could tell they genuinely cared, not just about me as a player but as a person,” Giwa said. “Meeting them made me want to be part of the family they’re building here. Our core values aligned in a way that felt natural.”

Giwa arrives after Rice following three productive seasons with Texas A&M Corpus Christi, growing into a full time starter over the last two seasons, most recently averaging 5.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game a season ago while leading the Islanders with a .636 shooting percentage. For reference, that’s almost 50 points better than any Rice player over the same time period.

It’s not just the scoring ability that made this pairing a fit. Giwa prides himself on his defense and says he wants to grow, something he credits the Owls’ coaching staff for demonstrating along the way.

“What I liked most about the system is how much it values playing with physicality, purpose, and unselfishness,” Giwa said. “I look forward to being part of a program that plays with discipline and toughness, which is exactly how I like to play.”

More: Rice Basketball 2025 Roster Tracker

Giwa should step in and fill a role in the post, taking over for the departing Caden Powell and giving Rice basketball a presence in the interior. The 6-foot-9 big man will be leaned on heavily for his rebounding ability and should be a tremendous fit in the Owls’ system.

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Rice Basketball Recruiting: F Evan Cochran commits to Owls

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Rice basketball has its third commitment of the 2025 recruiting class. Forward Evan Cochran from Houston has committed to the Owls.

Tuesday was a good day to be an Owl. The 2025 Rice Basketball recruiting class tripled in size, building on an initial pledge from guard Cameron Carroll from South Grand Prairie the Owls added a pair of new commitments, including a big one from forward Evan Cochran from The Village School right here in Houston, Texas.

Cochran picked Rice over a growing list of interested suitors. He had offers from Wichita State, Nevada, George Mason, Marshall, UTSA and others before deciding he wouldn’t be going very far from home at all to play his college ball.

“I really felt like the academic part of Rice was a fit for me, as well as the great coaching staff, the community, the campus, and more,” Cochran told The Roost. “I love the style of play Coach Lanier likes to play with, as it fits how I play the game as a player. I was impressed with the connection the coaches had with each other as well as with the players.”

Standing 6-foot-8, Cochran brings some size and physicality to a class that started with shooters. That’s something he says values highly and hopes to bring with him to campus.

“I take a lot of pride in rebounding and defense, which is especially something I improved on a lot over the summer,” he said. “Playing on the PRO16 circuit allowed me to compete with the best big men in the country and hold my own against them with defense and rebounding.

Cochran comes on board the same day as guard Boden Howell. Along with the aforementioned Carroll, the 2025 class now sits at three members, all from the high school ranks.

More: Rice Basketball 2024 Roster Tracker

It’s one thing to be big, lots of athletes have that going for them. It’s another to be able to use that size to your advantage which is something that sticks out when you turn on Cochran’s film. He looks comfortable on the court and is aware of how to position himself for maximum impact as both a shooter and a rebounder, a strong foundation as he grows into the collegiate player head coach Rob Lanier and staff believe he will be.



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Rice Basketball Recruiting: G Boden Howell commits to Owls

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Rice basketball has its second commitment of the 2025 recruiting class. Guard Boden Howell has committed to the Owls.

After a flurry of portal additions to ready the 2024-2025 roster, Rice Basketball has turned its attention to the future and the high school recruiting front. Roughly a week removed from the commitment of guard Cameron Carroll from South Grand Prairie the Owls have added a pair of new commitments, the first from guard Boden Howell of Meridian, Idaho.

Howell is a 6-foot-4 shooting guard who picked up an offer from the University of South Dakota the same week as he received his Rice basketball offer in late July. Active in the AAU circuit, Howell got onto the Rice radar and stayed there. Howell averaged 20.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists as a junior last season, leading his team to a state championship where he earned All-State Tournament honors.

Howell comes on board the same day as forward Evan Cochran from The Village School in Houston. Along with the aforementioned Carroll, the 2025 class now sits at three members, all from the high school ranks.

More: Rice Basketball 2024 Roster Tracker

The highlights have everything you want to see from a guard of Howell’s size, particularly the athleticism and how well he moves on the court. He can score off the dribble and on the drive, facilitates well to his teammates and is an experienced marksman from the outside. He’s a versatile player who plays the game with a high IQ and shoot fit in well with how coach Rob Lanier and company want to operate on the court.



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Rice Basketball Recruiting: G Cameron Carroll commits to Owls

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Rice basketball has landed its first commitment of the 2025 recruiting class. South Grand Prairie guard Cameron Carroll has committed to the Owls.

When head coach Rob Lanier took the helm of the Rice basketball program his first task was restocking a barren roster. With the 2024-2025 team more or less intact, the Owls were able to turn their attention toward the future, scouting out the right fits for the 2025 class. They landed their first member of that new flock on Wednesday. South Grand Prairie Guard Cameron Carroll has committed to the Owls.

Carroll’s first offer came early from Mississippi State. That set into motion a flurry of interest, eventually reaching the point where Lanier’s staff made the decision to offer Carroll at SMU. From there, Carroll’s stock steadily rose throughout the summer. When Lanier moved to Rice, the Owls swooped in with an offer, kicking off interest from Sam Houston, SFA, New Mexico State and Oral Roberts, among others.

The interest exists for good reason. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound point guard has a diverse array of skills that piqued the interest of so many programs. For Lanier and company to land someone of this caliber bodes well for the future of this 2025 Rice Basketball recruiting class.

More: Rice Basketball 2024 Roster Tracker

The film backs up all of those encouraging tidbits. Carroll can score from all three levels, shooting the ball well from the outside while still being quick enough and strong enough to slash into the paint and take it to the rim. He’s a scorer with good ball skills. The vision on the court is encouraging, too. Being able to facilitate the offense is just as important as scoring itself. Carroll looks to excel in both spots. This appears to be a great building block for the Owls’ future.

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Rice Basketball Recruiting: G Jacob Dar commits to Owls

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Rice basketball looks to put the finishing touches on its 2024 roster. Emory and Henry transfer guard Jacob Dar has committed to the Owls.

No sooner had the Transfer Portal opened then an influx of new members of the 2024-2025 Rice basketball team began. New head coach Rob Lanier and his staff worked diligently to replenish the roster on the fly, nearly filling it to the brim in a matter of a few short weeks. As the fall approached, few spots remained to fortify that group. The Owls made sure they had room for at least one more, though. Guard Jacob Dar has committed to the Owls.

Dar is a 6-foot-7, 185-pound wing from Emory and Henry College, a Division II school based in Emory, Virginia. The sophomore entered the portal this spring following a season in which he led the Wasps in scoring, averaging 15.4 points per game while shooting 77.6 percent from the floor. Dar is also a career 35.6 percent shooter from three.

It’s hard to keep tabs on exactly how many scholarships remain, but the addition of Dar certainly puts them at or near the limit. His commitment also represents yet another source Lanier and his staff have found to increase the talent level of this team. They’ve grabbed a player from a premier brand (Villanova), picked up several from Lanier’s old stomping grounds (SMU) and add others from accros the country (CCSU, Cal Poly, San Diego, Wyoming, UC Upstate and others). Dar could just be the last piece of the puzzle.

More: Rice Basketball Roster Tracker

It’s challenging to project a D2 prospect to D1, but when you’re looking for traits that translate to the next level, Dar certainly has several of those. He moves really well for an athlete of his size and has a beautiful shot, scoring at all levels. The highlights are enticing and could potentially offer more upside once he’s had an offseason with the Owls’ strength staff and worked further with the team. He could carve out a role quickly and has multiple years of eligibility remaining.



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