CSNbbs

At a signing event in his Shreveport HS gym Chad Lott signed with the Owls. A 3 star rated player he had been touted as going to LSU or Tech. He also was recruited by SMU, Nevada, Creighton, UH, and others. He is a 6'3" 175 lbs point guard who is in the style of former Owl Robert Johnson. Averaged 23 pts and 12 boards per game this past season.

Those are all very strong programs that were competing for the services of young Mr. Lott. Coach Rhoades really has something going on down in Houston.

Congratulations Owls.

Loves me some Coach Mike Rhoades! No. 4 prospect in Louisiana, whose state college in Baton Rouge produced Shaq (who was born and spent a good part of his youth in Newark, NJ and went to high school in San Antonio, TX. So I guess that makes him a Garden State product as well as high school in Texas and college in Louisiana at LSU.) Anyway, not bad for a late get.

from the article linked to on our board:

Byrd point guard Chad Lott headed to Rice
By: Andrew Lopez, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune



One of the top uncommitted prospects in Louisiana ended his recruitment Monday afternoon when Byrd point guard Chad Lott announced he was headed to Rice.

Lott, a one-time LSU target, averaged 23 points and 12 rebounds last season while leading the Yellow Jackets to the Class 5A semifinals.

In August, Lott announced a top six of LSU, SMU, Creighton, UNLV, Houston and Texas Tech but he said he wanted to make his announcement following the 2014-15 season.

When the season was done, only Texas Tech and Creighton were still actively recruiting Lott, who was also hearing from Nevada, Arkansas, Butler, Georgia State, McNeese State and Grand Canyon.

Lott told NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune in April that "...maybe I waited too long to make a decision, but with my faith in God, I feel like wherever I end up is where I need to be in the long run."

The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Lott was the No. 4 prospect on the NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune Terrific 20 and is rated a three-star prospect by Rivals, ESPN and 247Sports.

eta: info about Shaq is more accurate now.

On the news Lott said he's looking forward to getting vengeance against Tech for not really recruiting him. He's a strange situation. He had a ton of offers a year ago...some big offers. No recruiting buzz about him after the season. We lost two guard commits and still never really went after him. Signing day rolls around and I'm expecting some SEC or Big XII team based on the offer list but I heard Nevada or Georgia State. Now he says he decided on Rice three weeks ago. Very odd. Hopefully he works out for Rice....when not playing Tech of course.

Was a McDonald's All-American Nominee during his senior year and named state MVP by the Louisiana High School Basketball Coaches Association after his senior year. Everything we know about Rhoades so far suggests he is a fantastic get for Rice.

So heading into 2015-16, Rice loses:
Gearhart (best player last year, was not heavily recruited out of HS)
Van Green (grad student transfer and role player)
Peera (role player and former walk-on)

Rice gains:
SF Egor Koulechov (consensus 3-star transfer from Arizona St who sat out last season)
SF Marquez Letcher-Ellis (top 200 national and consensus 3-star)
PG Marcus Evans (elite defender and consensus 3-star)
PG Chad Lott (consensus 3-star)
SG Connor Cashaw (2/3-star)
SF Amir Smith (good bloodlines)

For a team that finished in the middle of CUSA last season, you can see why us Rice fans are getting pretty excited. And all those guys are athletic, which will really help Rice play the style of defense that Coach Rhoades wants. Worst case scenario is that Rice's depth is vastly improved. I'm sticking with my prediction that Rice gets a 1st round bye in next season's CUSA tournament.

Lott is a great addition to your program. Coach Rhoades is building a solid basketball product at Rice. Congrats.

:)

(05-19-2015 01:16 AM)mrbig Wrote: [ -> ]For a team that finished in the middle of CUSA last season, you can see why us Rice fans are getting pretty excited. And all those guys are athletic, which will really help Rice play the style of defense that Coach Rhoades wants. Worst case scenario is that Rice's depth is vastly improved. I'm sticking with my prediction that Rice gets a 1st round bye in next season's CUSA tournament.

That is a bold prediction in a C-USA that also has UAB, Old Dominion, UTEP, Louisiana Tech and Western Kentucky. A first round bye means the Owls have leaped past at least two of those traditional powerhouses.

(05-19-2015 05:12 AM)ESE84 Wrote: [ -> ]

(05-19-2015 01:16 AM)mrbig Wrote: [ -> ]For a team that finished in the middle of CUSA last season, you can see why us Rice fans are getting pretty excited. And all those guys are athletic, which will really help Rice play the style of defense that Coach Rhoades wants. Worst case scenario is that Rice's depth is vastly improved. I'm sticking with my prediction that Rice gets a 1st round bye in next season's CUSA tournament.

That is a bold prediction in a C-USA that also has UAB, Old Dominion, UTEP, Louisiana Tech and Western Kentucky. A first round bye means the Owls have leaped past at least two of those traditional powerhouses.

You do realize that Rice either beat or narrowly lost in games against these "traditional powerhouses" this past year, despite being significantly outmanned and out talented? The style of play deployed by Rhoades, especially now that he will have depth on his roster, has already proven it causes major problems against top programs.

(05-19-2015 05:29 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote: [ -> ]You do realize that Rice either beat or narrowly lost in games against these "traditional powerhouses" this past year, despite being significantly outmanned and out talented? The style of play deployed by Rhoades, especially now that he will have depth on his roster, has already proven it causes major problems against top programs.

Yes. Went to most of those games and saw the team play. Easy to buy into what Rhoades is doing and the energy level it creates. But we won't sneak up on anybody this year.

Rhoades has something good going on. I don't know if Rice gets a Top 4 seed next year, but they will be dangerous in the tournament nonetheless when these young guys get a little experience. The following year would be more likely.

I think Rice is still a year away. Too much youth. Promising youth, but often difficult to compete for a conference championship with youth, even in a mediocre basketball league.

They're set up extremely well for the future though.

(05-19-2015 01:42 AM)shyminer Wrote: [ -> ]:)

We wear it with pride!

(05-19-2015 05:12 AM)ESE84 Wrote: [ -> ]That is a bold prediction in a C-USA that also has UAB, Old Dominion, UTEP, Louisiana Tech and Western Kentucky. A first round bye means the Owls have leaped past at least two of those traditional powerhouses.

Admittedly, Rice was only 2-6 against those programs last season. But its easy to slice and dice the results in a way that provides optimism for Rice:
(1) In those 6 games, Rice was outscored by 37 total points, for an average point differential of -4 points/game. Hardly insurmountable moving forward given that this upcoming season, Rice will undeniably have more talent and depth, though fewer senior leaders.
(2) In the first 3 games against those programs, Rice was 0-3 and lost by an average of 11 points/game. In the next 5 games, Rice was 2-3 with a point differential of -1 points/game.
(3) Rice did not lose a single game by 15 or more last season.

(05-19-2015 08:26 AM)Niner National Wrote: [ -> ]I think Rice is still a year away. Too much youth. Promising youth, but often difficult to compete for a conference championship with youth, even in a mediocre basketball league.

They're set up extremely well for the future though.

I agree that my prediction is a hopeful one. But no one was expecting Rice to finish 8-10 in CUSA last season. What do you think expectations are for Rice heading into 2015-16? I think most prognositcators will pick Rice to finish something like 11-7 in CUSA, and it will require only a slight overachievement to gain a 1st-round bye.

Rhoades getting it done! Congrats Rice!

I think many at ODU saw that coming with the Rhodes hire. He's getting things done on the recruiting front and if he can learn from his mentors mistake of being a 1 trick pony Rice is going to be dangerous in a couple years. I look forward to Rice v ODU finals. =]

Congrats, Rice! Now go win some OOC games.

The guys at Rice have heart and played their guts out for Coach Rhoades in his first season at Rice. While they appear to be generally fine young men who displayed admirable heart and courage in transitioning to a new coach and completely different style of play from what they were recruited for by former Rice head coach Ben Braun, it is clear that the cupboard was quite bare last season. Rhoades really worked a miracle to get them as far as he did this past season, and so many games through last season, especially early, they were so close to 5-6 or more additional wins, but ran out of gas due to lack of depth and the extreme effort given to the new coaching system and game-play installed by Rhoades.

Even former coach Ben Braun, in his new stint as TV commentator on a few of the Rice games through the season, was cheering on and trumpeting what coach Rhoades was doing with some of the players Braun had recruited as recently as the year before. That's pretty good when the coach you just fired is a fan of his replacement and his coaching style/efforts.

When I look at this latest signing, what strikes me was the overall demeanor of the young man as shown in the brief article I posted on the previous page. He decided not to sign until the end of the season no matter the consequences, and he said he placed it in God's hands that he would end up in the right place. How often are you hearing that from basketball recruits these days?

He notes that Rice recruiters were there watching him throughout this senior season, as as he got to know the coaches, and the overall department at Rice, which itself is under relatively new leadership, he got the sense of a team and system approach working that he did not see at other places recruiting him. He mentioned the academics at Rice, as well.

Now the Rice experience certainly is secular to a fault, but within that, I am seeing Coach Rhoades have a different take reflecting his own personality makeup and character so far that emphasizes family and decency in a way that contrasts with Rice's overall experience, in a very good way, and that might certainly appeal to a talented player like this latest recruit. I'm under no illusions he is a saint, but he does strike me as a more decent than average fellow, seemingly not as inclined to take too many players with sketchy backgrounds that might muck up the team chemistry he is trying to build.

I would imagine this player fits the developing culture of what Rice's team is looking like so far under Rhoades better than perhaps at some of those other schools mentioned, higher ranked or not. Just looking at some of the players on our team so far, despite their varied backgrounds, there does seem to be a common element of decency that is a bit above the average college basketball team nowadays. I don't think we'll have to worry about any Baylor-type situations, but these days I guess you never really know.

I think there's a way to play the game with intensity and fervor without the Detroit Pistons Rodman-esque bad boy thing that has really ruined much of the game in the last 20 years. At the college level it is certainly more possible than the pros, one reason I like the college game better still these days.

I don't know how long Coach Rhoades will stay at Rice, I hope it's for a while, as his teams, even in losing efforts, are supremely entertaining to watch and fun to root for. Maybe he'll build us into a Memphis-type conference dominator and regular NCAA tourney team like Gonzaga. That would be sweet. I certainly think he's got the vision, ability, attitude, and recruiting chops to do that here at Rice if he wants to stay.

I think with Coach Mike Rhoades you'll see a Rice basketball team that is greater than the sum of its parts, and one with kids who more often than not don't necessarily fit the culture of most other schools' programs. I think college basketball needs a lot more of that these days, and a lot less Rodman-type street ball junk. If he can accomplish that at Rice, I think Coach Rhoades will go a long way to finally helping Rice reach out to a much broader fan base in the state, region and just maybe nationally in one of the two major revenue sports. Rice really needs a major-sport coach that can do that, as our alumni and student base is so small compared to almost every other school we compete with. I hope out President and AD do everything they can to keep him at Rice as long as they can.

There is always the possibility that I'm completely wrong about my feelings about coach Rhoades and his teams and players. We'll see chapter two this coming fall and winter. I'm looking forward to it.

(05-19-2015 10:25 AM)ODUDrunkard13 Wrote: [ -> ]Congrats, Rice! Now go win some OOC games.

Send that comment to our football coach, too.

Rice is improving but you must remember that other teams are improving and the ones in front are not just going to become bad.

The difference here versus other schools with promising talent coming in is that Rhoades can BOTH recruit AND coach. Definitely on the way up which is good for all of CUSA.