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Rice Athletics: Extended offseason showcase series

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Showcasing a variety of Rice Athletics programs who don’t always get the spotlight was a focal point of the 2020 Extended Offseason. Check out key storylines across many Owls’ sports.

When sports were canceled in March the offseason calendar was more than doubled almost overnight. The silver lining in the midst of the heavy situation was additional time to shed some light on a few Rice Athletics programs that hadn’t been given as much of a spotlight on the site before. Over the span of the last few months, we’ve run weekly series on other programs beyond the revenue sports that typically get the most attention (although we wrote about those too). Here’s a summary of those series, all in one place:

Volleyball

Soccer

Swimming

Tennis

Baseball

Men’s Basketball

Women’s Basketball

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Rice Women’s Basketball: How long can Rice keep Tina Langley?

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Tina Langley has been the catalyst for growth Rice Women’s Basketball needed. How long will she be on the sidelines of Tuder Fieldhouse?

Rice women’s basketball has experienced an unprecedented run of success in the past several seasons. Tina Langley is responsible for much of that success.  The former Maryland assistant has become a titan in Houston, recruiting elite talent and taking Rice back to the NCAA Tournament.

Athletic Director Joe Karlgaard wisely gave her a five-year contract extension following the NCAA Tourney berth. From the Owls’ perspective, Langley can stay as long as she’d like.

The Rice men’s team is more recently familiar with losing a head coach to another job. Mike Rhoades parlayed a CBI Quarterfinal appearance and a  23-12 record to take the VCU job in 2017. The women hope to avoid a similar fate.

The Roost Podcast: Listen now to our Extended Offseason Interview Series

Prior to Rice, Langley had spent much of her coaching career on the Eastern side of the county. She served as an assistant at Toledo, Clemson and Georgia before heading to Maryland. Her five-year run in Texas is the furthest Southwest she’s coached.

Her previous geography and her success at Rice have elevated her status in the coaching community. That recognition could have its ramifications. This past week, now former Duke Women’s Basketball head coach Joanne P. McCallie resigned. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Langley was among the names floated around as a potential replacement by multiple sources.

Langley doesn’t seem to be the type of coach who would jump at just any job. She spent five years at Toledo and seven at Maryland. People matter to her, but so does education.

If just any other Power 5 program came calling, Langley’s adoration of the Rice administration, academics and culture she’s helped build would help the Owls withstand their advances. But Duke, like few others, can rival the academic power Rice wields. That’s not to say Langley would be out the door if or when the Blue Devils come calling, but she might be willing to listen. She’s earned that right. Rice Athletics had no official comment.

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Rice Women’s Basketball: Owls’ stocked with young talent

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Rice women’s basketball has a core of young players ready to make another run at a Conference USA title. The Owls’ five freshmen are the foundation for the Owls’ future.

It’s going to be surreal watching Rice Women’s Basketball take the court in the fall without Erica Ogwumike. The Owls’ leader on and off the court saw her college career come to a premature end before becoming a WNBA draft selection this spring. Rice will be tasked with fielding a starting five without her in the lineup.

As impossible as Ogwumike will be to replace, it won’t be an unprecedented task. She missed two conference games this past spring with injuries. Rice won both games, defeating Louisiana Tech and Southern Miss at home, each by double digits. Haylee Swayze got the start in the first game in place of Ogwumike. Destiny Jackson started the second.

If the average fan lost track of who was subbing in and out from the bench in the middle of conference play, head coach Tina Langley was well aware.

Jackson was one of five freshmen on the Rice roster. She and Lauren Schwartz were the only two to start at least one game. Schwartz was one of three players to start every game, averaging 9.6 points per game, third best on the team. All five — including India Bellamy, Ashlee Austin and Katelyn Crosthwait — played in more than half of the Owls’ games. Simply put, the Rice freshman made their mark.

The Roost Podcast: Listen now to our Extended Offseason Interview Series

Bellamy led the team with a 45.5 percent success rate from three (5 of 11) and made all five of her free throws she attempted. Austin averaged one rebound every 4.5 minutes on the court, second only to Ogwumike. Crosthwait came up huge with a career-best 11 points in the regular-season finale, helping Rice clinch the conference title with a win over Old Dominion.

“I think where I’m proud of them is that all five of them contributed significantly,” Langley said, “It’s amazing to have such incredible young people coming into our program.”

Building that depth and giving them experience en route to back-to-back conference championships was, in many ways, the perfect scenario. Langley can trust each of them to step into bigger roles next season without missing a beat. And that’s what makes the outlook of this team so bright despite the loss of Ogwumike. Rice women’s basketball has so many players ready and able to contribute now.

“If you looked at our starting lineup from last season, we looked a little strange positionally at times,” Langley admitted,
“But we put a great group out there that could do a lot of different things well.” That’s the recipe for another run at a conference title in the fall. And as young as the Owls’ are, they might not be slowing down any time soon.

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Rice Women’s Basketball: Tina Langley’s program continues to climb

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Rice women’s basketball has soared to new heights under head coach Tina Langley. With her at the helm, the future remains bright for the Owls’ program

Tina Langley brought a championship-caliber resume with her when she was hired to be the next head coach for Rice Women’s Basketball. She had a Final Four appearance as an assistant at Maryland under her belt and a vision of what she wanted Rice to become. Five years later, the Owls are right on course.

The Owls’ haven’t made it to the Final Four yet, but each successive season has brought with it validation that Langley knows the way. After one year to get her feet under her, Rice won the WBI Championship in her second season. That was the first postseason title in program history. Rice made the WNIT in Year 3 and the NCAA Tournament in Year 4. The Owls’ were on track to repeat with another ticket to the Big Dance when the season was canceled.

Even without a clear resolution, the results of Langley’s teams speak for themselves. In the past two seasons, Rice is 49-12, a .803 winning percentage). They’ve won 32 of 34 conference games, including a Conference USA record 30 consecutive conference victories.

The Roost Podcast: Listen now to our Extended Offseason Interview Series

Getting to this point wouldn’t have been possible without establishing a strong culture. “One of the neat things about this team is how selfless they all are,” Langley said, “I think that’s what will continue to push us forward.”

Those players responded well when lineups shifted from night to night with injuries. All five Rice freshman played meaningful minutes. They responded well to their first conference loss in more than a year, rallying to win the conference title on their home court. From top to bottom, everyone seemed to understand the expectations and they knew how to carry them out.

“That’s what sets the standard for a great program. We have to be ready to answer the call,” Langely said, in a simple, yet knowing way. Success isn’t so easy. But Langley has found a way to unify her program in such a way that the wins seem to fall into place.

Langely signed a new five-year extension following the 2019-2020 season, keeping her at South Main through 2024. At this point, Langley has done enough to stay at Rice for as long as she would like.

Coming soon...
For a limited time only, we will be giving away a copy of the 2020 Rice Football season preview FOR FREE to all Patreon subscribers who join our Starting Lineup tier or higher. The Preview will be released to the general public on July 7.  Patrons get access on July 1.
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Rice Women’s Basketball: Owls are still built to win now

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Rice Women’s basketball is coming off a string of successful seasons, but the Owls have no intention of slowing down now. The future remains bright on South Main.

Winners of back-to-back Conference USA titles, Rice Women’s Basketball has no plans to slow down any time soon. Head coach Tina Langley has turned Rice into a power within its conference with eyes on bigger and better things. Even without star guard Erica Ogwumike, head coach Tina Langley can list endless reasons she believes in the returning roster.

From the top, there’s Nancy Mulkey, described by Langley herself as “one of the best centers in the country.” Jasmine Smith has been a starter since she arrived on campus. Langely called Synde Wiggins a “lethal shooter”, deservedly so after the junior finished Top-5 in Conference USA with her .358 three-point percentage. And then there’s a host of talented depth pieces and the surging freshman class.

On paper, this is going to be a very good basketball team. In practice, Langley has proven she can press the right buttons when the games matter most. Rice Women’s basketball has lost one game in the month of March in the past two seasons. That came in heartbreaking fashion in the NCAA Tournament. When that’s the only blemish on your March resume, things are trending in the right direction.

The Roost Podcast: Listen now to our Extended Offseason Interview Series

Beyond the hedges, the Owls’ chief competitor has challenges of their own. Old Dominion knocked off the Owls in Virginia last season, snapping their 30-game conference winning streak. Following the season the Monarchs lost head coach Nikki McCray to Mississippi State. They’ll be breaking in new head coach next season. Western Kentucky, who tied for second with Old Dominion last season, will replace several upperclassmen starters.

Nothing will be handed to Rice next season. If the past two years are any indication, there could be some growing pains as the Owls work out the kinks before conference play begins. But when it comes to matching the coaching and the talent Rice possesses, it’s hard to make a case the Owls won’t be in the mix for another conference title next spring.

Coming soon...
For a limited time only, we will be giving away a copy of the 2020 Rice Football season preview FOR FREE to all Patreon subscribers who join our Starting Lineup tier or higher. The Preview will be released to the general public on July 7.  Patrons get access on July 1.
Become a Patron!
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts