Coach is really working the guys.

Still no disco ball for Club 103. Couldn't get the variance onto CoH agenda. I'll have to get THRILL to push it.

Any update on Lott'a knee?

(11-02-2015 08:30 PM)mrbig Wrote:  Any update on Lott'a knee?

He's getting surgery tomorrow.

That new semi-circle under the basket will take some getting used to.

Much more athletic team than last year. When asked how much we'll press Coach Rhoades said all the time unless we're in foul trouble. We'll shoot a lot of 3s. Igor is a terrific outside shooter as are Marcus Jackson and Bishop Mency. One of the grad assistants told me Andrew Drone had improved a lot of last year. It's still almost 2 weeks before the season opener, but they look pretty good. There's lots of ball movement, hustle, pressure D and enthusiasm. Can't wait, although I see our first game is at Cal who is picked 2nd in the PAC 12.

Which freshmen look the most ready to contribute?

I'd say Letcher-Ellis, Evans and Cashaw.

(11-02-2015 10:22 PM)bobreinhold1 Wrote:  I'd say Letcher-Ellis, Evans and Cashaw.

All 3 looked really good. Smith will need some time but can be used in spot situations.

It was pointed out that we have sold more season tickets this year than we have in any of the previous 10 years.

(11-02-2015 09:23 PM)bobreinhold1 Wrote:  Much more athletic team than last year. When asked how much we'll press Coach Rhoades said all the time unless we're in foul trouble. We'll shoot a lot of 3s. Igor is a terrific outside shooter as are Marcus Jackson and Bishop Mency. One of the grad assistants told me Andrew Drone had improved a lot of last year. It's still almost 2 weeks before the season opener, but they look pretty good. There's lots of ball movement, hustle, pressure D and enthusiasm. Can't wait, although I see our first game is at Cal who is picked 2nd in the PAC 12.

Some even have Cal picked to win the PAC 12. Tough first test on the road but it will be good to see where we measure up.

I will be thrilled to see the team come home 1-1 after playing well at both Cal and USF.

Also don't forget the exhib game Sat night....no ticket required.

It really isn't fair for me to evaluate the frosh yet from one scrimmage. This time last year I might have said Rivers. These guys are all athletic and it will be interesting to see how much they develop. I would say Marquez-Letcher has the most upside as he has a good, nice size body with long arms and is very athletic. He played on the top high school team in the country last year that had 10 players offered D1 scholarships and also had the #1 player of the year. Actually I was impressed with Oliver Xu, a walk-on who walked on last year and then disappeared from the team. He's back, bigger and stronger, and didn't play like a walk-on.

I don't make predictions and have no clue how many games we'll win, but I can say if you come out to the games you won't be disappointed. This team will play 100% for 40 minutes. I know we have some "Missouri" people on here that need to be shown so come see for yourself. We're young and will make some early mistakes, but we're way ahead of this time last year and I expect we'll continue to improve.

Very complimentary article on Coach Rhoades-- one of 10 coaches on the rise...

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketba...l/25361144

Quote:Mike Rhoades, Rice

Ask anyone who was associated with VCU's program during the Shaka Smart era and they'll tell you Rhoades had a major hand in the Rams' success. A coach's coach, the Pennsylvania native coached his tail off last year as he led the Owls to an unthinkable eight conference victories despite limited resources. With Rice's recruiting on the upswing, look for Rhoades to have this program among the elite in Conference-USA by the 2016-17 season.

(11-03-2015 07:47 AM)Tiki Owl Wrote:  

(11-02-2015 10:22 PM)bobreinhold1 Wrote:  I'd say Letcher-Ellis, Evans and Cashaw.

All 3 looked really good. Smith will need some time but can be used in spot situations.

It was pointed out that we have sold more season tickets this year than we have in any of the previous 10 years.

Are you saying that a losing Rice major sport team, by merely changing the Head Coach to an exciting, high-energy type who requires more of both his team and of himself, playing an aggressive style rarely seen here, has after only one season dramatically improved interest and attendance at a major Rice sport, thus increasing revenues for the athletic program and potentially filling the stands so home games will look good on tv? Who knew?

(11-03-2015 10:46 AM)GoodOwl Wrote:  

(11-03-2015 07:47 AM)Tiki Owl Wrote:  

(11-02-2015 10:22 PM)bobreinhold1 Wrote:  I'd say Letcher-Ellis, Evans and Cashaw.

All 3 looked really good. Smith will need some time but can be used in spot situations.

It was pointed out that we have sold more season tickets this year than we have in any of the previous 10 years.

Are you saying that a losing Rice major sport team, by merely changing the Head Coach to an exciting, high-energy type who requires more of both his team and of himself, playing an aggressive style rarely seen here, has after only one season dramatically improved interest and attendance at a major Rice sport, thus increasing revenues for the athletic program and potentially filling the stands so home games will look good on tv? Who knew?

Come on - you know that can't be done!

(11-03-2015 10:46 AM)GoodOwl Wrote:  

(11-03-2015 07:47 AM)Tiki Owl Wrote:  

(11-02-2015 10:22 PM)bobreinhold1 Wrote:  I'd say Letcher-Ellis, Evans and Cashaw.

All 3 looked really good. Smith will need some time but can be used in spot situations.

It was pointed out that we have sold more season tickets this year than we have in any of the previous 10 years.

Are you saying that a losing Rice major sport team, by merely changing the Head Coach to an exciting, high-energy type who requires more of both his team and of himself, playing an aggressive style rarely seen here, has after only one season dramatically improved interest and attendance at a major Rice sport, thus increasing revenues for the athletic program and potentially filling the stands so home games will look good on tv? Who knew?

Come on - you know that can't be done!

(11-02-2015 09:35 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  Which freshmen look the most ready to contribute?

Not a freshman, but Egor stood out to me in practice. He looked fast, made some 3 pt shots and drove into the basket. He looked like a good skilled player.

Connor Capshaw also made a really nice looking reverse layup in traffic. That is a dimension we sorely lacked last year.

I also gotta root for Oliver Xu, he's a fellow Computer Science major and I know what that was like. I had a part time job one year at Allen Center in the afternoons and that was almost too much for me to handle with classes, so I feel his pain. He looked good in practice and Coach Rhoades said he would probably get to play this year.

So with all of the positives being said, one thing I notice is that we still don't set very good picks. Our guards dribble along the perimeter but the big doesn't come out very much to set the pick. Even when we do, it's very quick and the screener barely sets before moving again. Then again, that's not unique to our team, even in the NBA, some teams don't do it very well.

(11-03-2015 01:13 PM)Orange County Owl Wrote:  

(11-03-2015 10:46 AM)GoodOwl Wrote:  

(11-03-2015 07:47 AM)Tiki Owl Wrote:  

(11-02-2015 10:22 PM)bobreinhold1 Wrote:  I'd say Letcher-Ellis, Evans and Cashaw.

All 3 looked really good. Smith will need some time but can be used in spot situations.

It was pointed out that we have sold more season tickets this year than we have in any of the previous 10 years.

Are you saying that a losing Rice major sport team, by merely changing the Head Coach to an exciting, high-energy type who requires more of both his team and of himself, playing an aggressive style rarely seen here, has after only one season dramatically improved interest and attendance at a major Rice sport, thus increasing revenues for the athletic program and potentially filling the stands so home games will look good on tv? Who knew?

Come on - you know that can't be done!

It's impossible (fits here too):

The practice was interesting. I thought perimeter shooting was underwhelming until the last shooting drill, where Egor was able to show his touch. Oliver Xu was able to pressure Max due to his relative size advantage during some drills, a problem the team will have to deal with as long as Guercy is the number 1 point guard. The team is quicker this year, but the still somewhat undersized against strong competition. Only one senior (Guercy), so this team is young. Nate Pollard did not showcase better hands than last year during this practice, but he is filling out somewhat (at least he seems a little stronger). Andrew Drone did slam the ball once or twice, something he did not do much last year.

Was there any mention of why we are playing only 1 exhibition? It seems like most schools play 2. Also does anyone remember how long until we can take our next international trip for extra practice? I think it's once every 4 years but I'm not sure.

(11-05-2015 07:12 PM)cr11owl Wrote:  Was there any mention of why we are playing only 1 exhibition? It seems like most schools play 2. Also does anyone remember how long until we can take our next international trip for extra practice? I think it's once every 4 years but I'm not sure.

Don't recall seeing an explanation for one exhibition game, but might have something to do with playing NAIA and Div III teams during the season.