The source for Rice sports news

2020-2021 Rice Women’s Basketball Season Preview

By

The 2020-2021 Rice women’s basketball season is fast approaching. Here’s a rundown of the Owls’ squad aiming for a third-straight conference title.

It feels like so long ago since Tina Langley and the Rice women’s basketball team stood awkwardly on the court in Frisco, Tx prior to their Conference USA Conference Tournament game that never tipped off. The Owls had surged through the league for a second-consecutive regular-season title and were prepared to defend it, but the wave of COVID-19 cancelations stole that chance away.

Much has happened in the months that followed. Erica Ogwumike was selected in the WNBA Draft. And just this month, Rice signed a new class of freshmen. Finally, the longer than anticipated offseason is coming to an end.

The Coach – Tina Langley

There’s a reason Rice signed Tina Langley to a five-year contract extension prior to the beginning of last season. She’s built one of the most dominant programs across the breadth of Rice Athletics. She helped Rice earn its first-ever ranking in the AP Poll, led the team to an undefeated conference record two seasons ago continues to rewrite record books. As long as Langley is at South Main, this program is in good hands.

Last Season Snapshot

Rice saw a 30-game conference winning streak broken on the road against Old Dominion in overtime last February. The loss marked the first time the Owls had fallen to a conference opponent in longer than a calendar year.

Podcast: Erica Ogwumike talks Rice basketball career and abrupt ending

Undeterred, Rice would rally, setting up a winner-take-all matchup with those same Monarchs at Tudor Fieldhouse on the final day of the regular season. Rice beat Old Dominion that day, clinching the conference title and cutting down the nets on their home court. Rice finished the year 21-8 (16-2 C-USA).

Key Question

What does this team look like without Ogwumike? We saw a brief snippet of the team without their star guard on the floor last season and they faired well, but it’s one thing to make something work for a few games and another to be without such a potent scorer and ace rebounder for a full season. The sample we’ve seen suggests they’ll be just fine, but there could be an adjustment period as the team adapts.

The Schedule

Rice Women’s Basketball Marquee Games and Key Dates

Nov. 25, 2020 – Season opener vs Houston Baptist at Tudor Fieldhouse
Nov. 28, 2020 – First road game, at Little Rock
Dec. 20, 2020 – Owls visit Texas A&M at Reed Arena
Jan. 1, 2020 – Conference USA opener at UTSA
Jan. 8, 2020 – Conference USA home opener vs UTEP
Mar. 10, 2020 – Conference USA Tournament

You can find the complete 2020-2021 Rice women’s basketball schedule here.

Key Returners

Sydne Wiggins, Guard (Sr.)

Wiggins led Rice in minutes last season, starting all 29 games. She’s a dynamic shooter from the outside and a pesky defender. Her 1.7 steals per game ranked Top 10 in Conference USA. A senior, Wiggins will be a key leader for this team on and off the court, always playing with an infectious level of aggressiveness.

Jasmine Smith, Guard (Jr.)

Through two seasons, Smith has started every game of her Rice career. She’s a lockdown defender and a plus rebounder, frequently turning takeaways into easy opportunities for the Rice offense. Her enthusiasm and quickness on defense prevented even some of the conference’s best shooters from getting open looks from deep.

Nancy Mulkey, Center (Sr.)

When healthy, Mulkey is one of the most potent forces in women’s college basketball. When she’s on the court, she gives Rice an advantage that no other team in the conference can match. She’s improved on her touch inside and is really becoming a more well-rounded player as she enters her third season on South Main. She’s blocked 171 shots in 48 games in her Rice career.

Lauren Schwartz, Guard (So.)

Schwartz cracked the starting lineup for the Owls immediately upon her arrival at South Main last year. A member of the Conference USA All-Freshman team, her ability as a scorer and a facilitator on offense was crucial to the team’s success on that side of the court. She averaged 9.6 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. With Erica Ogwumike gone, Schwartz will be the primary ballhandler for Rice this season.

Enjoy The Roost? Consider supporting our coverage of the Owls and Rice women’s basketball through a purchase at The Roost Shop or subscribing on Patreon.

Become a Patron!

Key names off the bench

Destiny Jackson, Guard (So.) – Saw the most playing time of the freshmen reserves last season. Shot .442 from the field and was a key contributed in the early parts of conference play.

Kendall Ellig, Center (Sr.) – Earned the backup center role and played well. She averaged 2.0 rebounds per game, playing at least 15 minutes in nine contests.

Haylee Swayze, Guard (Jr.) – Opened last season with 22 points off the bench against Nicholls St. Capable shooter off the bench that can rise to the occasion when her number is called.

Katelyn Crosthwait, Guard (So.) – Impactful interior scorer who helped Rice defeat Old Dominion with a season-high 21 minutes and 11 points. Trustworthy defender and rebounder.

More names to know

Sophomore forwards India Bellamy and Ashlee Austin saw a large portion of their action in non-conference play last season, but each had moments during the conference slate where they were asked to come off the bench and play roles here and there. They should be involved in similar situations again this season with room for their playing time to grow.

Arianna McCurry will see some run as a reserve behind Nancy Mulkey and Kendall Ellig at center. Newcomer Maya Bokunewicz can play multiple positions. The 6-foot freshman received rave reviews from coach Langley in the offseason and should see the floor in some capacity early on, especially given how committed the Owls were to getting a much larger freshman class playing experience last fall.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Athletics: Extended offseason showcase series

By

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

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

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

By

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.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

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

By

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.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

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

By

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.
Become a Patron!
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts