(02-25-2016 10:41 PM)johncatworth Wrote:  32 more points and impressive leadership from Marcus tonight, which should make him the new holder of the Conference USA freshman record for most points scored in conference games.

Well in that case I'm glad we went to OT last night, extra time for extra points!!

I asked a question about it earlier, but I think at this point Evans will be in a position to grab a freshman All-American slot when the season is done. Perhaps not first team, but he will be mentioned.

(02-26-2016 10:43 AM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  I asked a question about it earlier, but I think at this point Evans will be in a position to grab a freshman All-American slot when the season is done. Perhaps not first team, but he will be mentioned.

The fact he's on the CBS watch list is promising.

Didn't get to post these at season's end, but for the record(s), here they are. Nice Job Marcus, Egor and Max!

Marcus Evans Eared Numerous National Awards in 2015-16 Season
• Freshman Marcus Evans got the attention of the nation.
• After last week’s performance where he averaged 29.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.0 steals and 3.0 assists, the Chesapeake, Va. native was honored with a trio of national awards.
• On Monday, he was named the High-Major National Player of the Week by College Sports Madness.
• He followed that by picking up National Freshman of the Week honors from CBSSports.com and the United States Baketball Writers Association. Evans Named First Team All-Conference USA
• Freshman Marcus Evans was named First Team All-Conference USA.
• Evans becomes the first freshman in Rice history to be named First Team All-Conference and just the second Owl to be named First Team All-Conference USA, joining Morris Almond who earned the honors in 2006 and 2007.
• He also is the ninth freshman in Conference USA history to earn the distinction.

Rice 10-Time Winner of C-USA Freshman of the Week
• Rice has earned the Conference USA Freshman of the Week Award 10 times.
• It was the most times in Conference USA history that one school has earned the award in a season.
• Marcus Evans earned the award nine times and Marquez Letcher-Ellis (1/18) was awarded it once.
• Evans, who has won the Freshman of the Week award the last five weeks, earned the honors in back-to- back weeks five times (Nov. 30 and Dec. 7, 12/21 and 12/28, 2/1, 2/8, 2/15, 2/22 & 2/29).
• Evans’ nine honors are the most most in one season in C-USA history.

Mad Max
• Max Guercy was the lone senior on this year’s squad.
• Guercy was the Owls’ Mr. Dependable, having started 125 consecutive games since the start of his freshman year, the most games in school history without missing a start and the most starts in school history.
• Guercy led Conference USA in free throw percentage (.871), was second in assists (5.7) and eighth in minutes played (33.6).
• The Arleta, Calif., native also climbed up the Rice career charts.
• Guercy entered the CUSA Tournament game with Charlotte in second-place in school history in assists with 497. He was also in sixth-place with 145 steals, picking up 1 more in his final game, to finish with 146 career steals.
• He is in third-place in school history in all-time free throw percentage, connecting on 83.7% (304-of-363) from the line throughout his career.
• With five assists against Charlotte on Mar. 3, he set the school single season record with 171, and finished his career by getting the 6 more assists to finish with 177, and he set the school career assist record with 503 assists.

RICE 1,000 POINT SCORERS
1. 2,014 Michael Harris 2001-05
2. 1,906 Brent Scott 1989-93
3. 1,847 Ricky Pierce 1979-82
4. 1,825 Morris Almond 2003-07
5. 1,727 Elbert Darden 1975-79
6. 1,684 Tamir Jackson 2009-13
...
25. 1,137 Tom Robitaille 1956-59
26. 1,115 Max Guercy 2012-16
27. 1,107 Kenneth 'Big Head' Rourke 1988-92
28. 1,101 Greg Williams 1966-69

RICE CAREER ASSISTS
1. 503 Max Guercy 2012-16
2. 502 Dana Hardy 1988-92
3. 442 Lorenzo Williams 2003-07
4. 426 D’Wayne Tanner 1986-90
5. 387 Tamir Jackson 2009-13
6. 353 J.J. Polk 1994-97
353(t) Adam Peakes 1991-95
8. 348 Mike Wilks 1997-2001
9. 341 Rashid Smith 2000-04
10. 333 Jason McKrieth 2001-05

RICE CAREER STEALS
1. 291 D’Wayne Tanner 1986-90
2. 186 Mike Wilks 1997-2001
3. 162 Tamir Jackson 2009-13
162(t) Jason McKrieth 2001-05
5. 154 Arsalan Kazemi 2009-12
6. 146 Max Guercy 2012-16
7. 144 Adam Peakes 1991-95
8. 137 Michael Harris 2001-05
9. 133 Rashid Smith 2000-04
133(t) Bobby Tudor 1978-82

Dynamic Duo
• The duo of Egor Koulechov and Marcus Evans proved to be one of the top duos in Conference USA this season.
• Together, Evans (21.4) and Koulechov (16.7) combined to average 38.1 points per game - approximately 49.8 percent of the team’s 76.1 points per game average.
• Evans and Koulechov became just the seventh duo in Rice history and the first since 1992-93 to each average 16.0 points per game.
• They are also just the second teammates in Rice history to each score 500 points, joining Michael Harris and Jason McKrieth in 2003-04.
• Koulechov and Evans currently rank as the top scoring duo in C-USA (through games of Mar. 5).
•Below are the top scoring combinations in Conference USA:

Duo-Team-Combined PPG
1. Marcus Evans (21.4)/Egor Koulechov (16.7) Rice 38.1 ppg
2. Alex Hamilton (20.0)/Erik McCree (16.5) Louisiana Tech 36.5 ppg
3. James Kelly (20.6)/Ryan Taylor (14.1) Marshall 34.7 ppg
4. Trey Freeman (21.6)/Aaron Bacote (12.4) Old Dominion 34.0 ppg
5. Donte McGill (15.8)/Daviyon Draper(15.8) FIU 31.6 ppg

Marcus Evans will have a teammate's record to shoot for, as Sophomore Egor Koulechov set all-time the Rice Sophomore Season Scoring Record by scoring 17pts in the final Conference USA Tournament game against Charlotte:

RICE SOPHOMORE SCORING
1. 535 Egor Koulechov 2015-16
2. 531 Temple Tucker 1955-56
3. 506 Brent Scott 1989-90
4. 498 Ricky Pierce 1979-80
5. 487 Arsalan Kazemi 2010-11
6. 480 Elbert Darden 1976-77
7. 465 Marcus Jackson 2014-15
8. 444 Tamir Jackson 2010-11
9. 427 Michael Harris 2002-03
10. 413 Greg Hines 1984-85

Evans Making a Name for Himself
• Freshman Marcus Evans is quickly making a name for himself.
• The guard from Chesapeake, Va., was second in Conference USA in scoring and 18th in the country, averaging 21.4 points per game.
• He also leads the league in steals (2.1), which is 19th in the country and is ninth in minutes played (33.4).

Evans Rewrote Rice Freshman Record Book
• Marcus Evans rewrote Rice’s freshman record book.
• The Chesapeake, Va., native has already set the record for most points by a freshman with 685.
• He has also set the record for 20-point games (20), field goals made (223), field goals attempted (474), free throws made (187), free throws attempted (235) and steals (69).
• Below is where Evans’ ranks in freshman Rice history:
Points 685 1st
Scoring Average 21.4 1st
20-Point Games 20 1st
Field Goals Made 223 1st
Field Goals Attempted 474 1st
Free Throws Made 187 1st
Free Throws Attempted 235 1st
Steals 69 1st
Three-Pointers Made 52 3rd
Three-Pointers Attempted 170 3rd
Free Throw Percentage .796 6th
Assists 91 6th
Field Goal Percentage .470 7th

RICE SINGLE-SEASON POINTS SCORED
1. 844 Morris Almond 2006-07
2. 805 Ricky Pierce 1981-82
3. 685 Marcus Evans 2015-16
4. 639 Michael Harris 2004-05
5. 632 Torrey Andrews 1993-94
6. 617 Robert Johnson 1998-99
7. 612 Morris Almond 2005-06
8. 604 Mike Wilks 2000-01
604(t) Gene Schwinger 1953-54
10. 584 Kendall Rhine 1963-64

Evans Climbed the Conference Ladder
• Not only did Marcus Evans set marks at Rice, but he joined a select group in Conference USA history.
• With 29 points against Florida Atlantic on Feb. 18, Evans became just the 12th freshman in C-USA history to score 500 points in a season.
• Evans sits second all time among all freshmen in C-USA history with 685 points.
• Below are the top 10 freshman scorers in Conference USA history:

Name-School-Year-Points
1. Dajuan Wagner Memphis 2001-02 762
2. Marcus Evans Rice 2015-16 685
3. Larry Hughes Saint Louis 1997-98 670
4. Tyreke Evans Memphis 2008-09 632
5. Derrick Rose Memphis 2007-08 597
6. Quentin Richardson DePaul 1998-99 586
7. Darius Washington Memphis 2004-05 584
8. Jeremy Wise Southern Miss 2006-07 541
9. Kareem Canty Marshall 2013-14 538
10. Rodney White Charlotte 2000-01 523

Evans One of Nation’s Top Freshmen
• Not only did Marcus Evans make a name for himself in Conference USA, but he proved to be one of the top freshmen nationally.
• With 21.2 points per game, Evans was the nation’s leading freshman scorer.
• Below is the list of the top freshmen scorers in the country this year at season's end(as of Mar. 5).

Name-School-PPG
1. Marcus Evans, Rice 21.2 ppg
2. Jamal Murray, Kentucky 20.0 ppg
3. Dikembe Dixson, Illinois-Chicago 19.8 ppg
4. Ben Simmons, LSU 19.6 ppg
5. Matt Morgan, Campbell 18.9 ppg

Will be interesting to see how Simmons develops and watch his career in the NBA after all the hype from his one-and-done. I liked the old compromise when players at least had to stay in college until junior year.


Overall, a fantastic year for Evans, Koulechov and Guercy individually. With the reinforcements on the way next season, along with the return of Marcus Jackson and Chadd Lott, I think we'll see quite an improvement once these guys get their roles established and learn to play together in a 10-man rotation!

Coach Rhoades had an interview this morning on Sports Radio 610. Talked tournament, this past season, and the excitement he has for next year. Worth a listen if anyone has the time.