(03-22-2023 07:44 AM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  Speaking of new AAC coaches, Wichita State just named Paul Mills of Oral Roberts as its new head coach. Mills was an (unpaid) video coordinator at Rice under Willis 20 years ago for one season before beginning his paid coaching career at Baylor the next season. I don’t remember him at all, but he sounds like a good guy. His Wikipedia page claims the only money he made at Rice was getting paid 2000 dollars to paint the 1261 steps of Tudor Fieldhouse. That doesn’t sound right to me (and back then it was still just plain Autry), but it’s a good story nonetheless.

Sounds similar to the job that two people had painting the DNA swirlies on the inner walls of the stadium years ago (seen during a MOB rehearsal).
The specifics are unclear, but the assignment is believable.

Next shoes to drop are Olivari, Austin, Crosthwait, Bellamy, and Jackson. We'll know as soon as Olivari hits the portal, if he does. He'll get some posts on Twitter when he enters. Won't immediately know with the women. Transfer tracking for WBB still lags well behind MBB.

Olivari going into the portal has long been expected. I'd wager that Austin is a pretty sure thing, as well, given how she was in the doghouse for awhile this year. The other 3 could go either way. If Maya can stay healthy for once she'd be an upgrade-- at least offensively-- over what Crosthwait provided this year as she is a much more high frequency shooter (though historically she's either on fire or ice cold for entire games).

(03-22-2023 01:23 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  Olivari going into the portal has long been expected. I'd wager that Austin is a pretty sure thing, as well, given how she was in the doghouse for awhile this year. The other 3 could go either way. If Maya can stay healthy for once she'd be an upgrade-- at least offensively-- over what Crosthwait provided this year as she is a much more high frequency shooter (though historically she's either on fire or ice cold for entire games).

If Bellamy and Austin both leave then we will definitely need another person at the center spot. Samb is just not working out.

Camp Wagner has committed to Rice.

https://twitter.com/CampWagner2

Looks like Indiana State and Elon were the other two schools he had offers from?

However this offseason goes for us, it will not be worse than UTSA's. Decided to give Henson another year (an undeserved one) and then saw the entire team enter the transfer portal. Basically have thrown away their first year in the American and likely the year after. Disastrous decision from their AD.

Olivari is officially in the portal. Back to three open scholarships (or two if Perkins is converted). Basically necessitates getting multiple impact players from the portal. Olivari wasn't perfect, but his production won't be easy to replace.

Formally closes the book on one of the more fun athletes Rice has seen in a while. Like Fiedler, a first class representative of Rice.

It'll also be interesting to watch him adapt wherever he ends up. His usage percentage will obviously be lower at a high-major, so he's going to have to embrace a different role than the one he played the last two years.

(03-10-2023 04:30 PM)WRCisforgotten79 Wrote:  Rice men are at #215 in Pomeroy, 8 spots lower than last season, and 27 spots lower than 2020-21, Pera's best season. Where, exactly, is there any progress at all over the past 4 seasons?

Thanks to C-USA's postseason success, Rice has moved up to #198 in Pomeroy.

(03-23-2023 02:48 PM)elw4796 Wrote:  However this offseason goes for us, it will not be worse than UTSA's. Decided to give Henson another year (an undeserved one) and then saw the entire team enter the transfer portal. Basically have thrown away their first year in the American and likely the year after. Disastrous decision from their AD.

This site says there are seven in the portal, and the seven includes four of the starters that faced us in the tournament game.

https://www.on3.com/college/utsa-roadrun...ball/2023/

(03-23-2023 03:57 PM)elw4796 Wrote:  Olivari is officially in the portal. Back to three open scholarships (or two if Perkins is converted). Basically necessitates getting multiple impact players from the portal. Olivari wasn't perfect, but his production won't be easy to replace.

Formally closes the book on one of the more fun athletes Rice has seen in a while. Like Fiedler, a first class representative of Rice.

It'll also be interesting to watch him adapt wherever he ends up. His usage percentage will obviously be lower at a high-major, so he's going to have to embrace a different role than the one he played the last two years.

crap-transfers have just decimated whatever chances we have had to break out over the last 10 years

(03-24-2023 08:28 AM)texowl2 Wrote:  

(03-23-2023 03:57 PM)elw4796 Wrote:  Olivari is officially in the portal. Back to three open scholarships (or two if Perkins is converted). Basically necessitates getting multiple impact players from the portal. Olivari wasn't perfect, but his production won't be easy to replace.

Formally closes the book on one of the more fun athletes Rice has seen in a while. Like Fiedler, a first class representative of Rice.

It'll also be interesting to watch him adapt wherever he ends up. His usage percentage will obviously be lower at a high-major, so he's going to have to embrace a different role than the one he played the last two years.

crap-transfers have just decimated whatever chances we have had to break out over the last 10 years

??? Olivari has played 4 years here and has earned his degree. He's not "decimating" our program by opting out for his 5th year. And if it weren't for "crap transfers" we wouldn't have had Evee or Pierre.

(03-24-2023 10:55 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(03-24-2023 08:28 AM)texowl2 Wrote:  

(03-23-2023 03:57 PM)elw4796 Wrote:  Olivari is officially in the portal. Back to three open scholarships (or two if Perkins is converted). Basically necessitates getting multiple impact players from the portal. Olivari wasn't perfect, but his production won't be easy to replace.

Formally closes the book on one of the more fun athletes Rice has seen in a while. Like Fiedler, a first class representative of Rice.

It'll also be interesting to watch him adapt wherever he ends up. His usage percentage will obviously be lower at a high-major, so he's going to have to embrace a different role than the one he played the last two years.

crap-transfers have just decimated whatever chances we have had to break out over the last 10 years

??? Olivari has played 4 years here and has earned his degree. He's not "decimating" our program by opting out for his 5th year. And if it weren't for "crap transfers" we wouldn't have had Evee or Pierre.

I don't think texowl2 was saying "crap transfers," rather he was using "crap" to describe his own emotions about the news.

I agree that Olivari is not decimating the program by leaving... I personally think he was a bit overrated (as Elw's analytics would suggest). I'm two of Evee and Pierre's biggest fans, but we have lost more than we've gained from the portal over the last ten years. That's indisputable.

(03-24-2023 11:04 AM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  

(03-24-2023 10:55 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(03-24-2023 08:28 AM)texowl2 Wrote:  

(03-23-2023 03:57 PM)elw4796 Wrote:  Olivari is officially in the portal. Back to three open scholarships (or two if Perkins is converted). Basically necessitates getting multiple impact players from the portal. Olivari wasn't perfect, but his production won't be easy to replace.

Formally closes the book on one of the more fun athletes Rice has seen in a while. Like Fiedler, a first class representative of Rice.

It'll also be interesting to watch him adapt wherever he ends up. His usage percentage will obviously be lower at a high-major, so he's going to have to embrace a different role than the one he played the last two years.

crap-transfers have just decimated whatever chances we have had to break out over the last 10 years

??? Olivari has played 4 years here and has earned his degree. He's not "decimating" our program by opting out for his 5th year. And if it weren't for "crap transfers" we wouldn't have had Evee or Pierre.

I don't think texowl2 was saying "crap transfers," rather he was using "crap" to describe his own emotions about the news.

I agree that Olivari is not decimating the program by leaving... I personally think he was a bit overrated (as Elw's analytics would suggest). I'm two of Evee and Pierre's biggest fans, but we have lost more than we've gained from the portal over the last ten years. That's indisputable.

correct-Imagine the teams we could've had without transfers out. Hope for him that he doesn't get the sad experience that Cashaw had.

(03-24-2023 10:55 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(03-24-2023 08:28 AM)texowl2 Wrote:  

(03-23-2023 03:57 PM)elw4796 Wrote:  Olivari is officially in the portal. Back to three open scholarships (or two if Perkins is converted). Basically necessitates getting multiple impact players from the portal. Olivari wasn't perfect, but his production won't be easy to replace.

Formally closes the book on one of the more fun athletes Rice has seen in a while. Like Fiedler, a first class representative of Rice.

It'll also be interesting to watch him adapt wherever he ends up. His usage percentage will obviously be lower at a high-major, so he's going to have to embrace a different role than the one he played the last two years.

crap-transfers have just decimated whatever chances we have had to break out over the last 10 years

??? Olivari has played 4 years here and has earned his degree. He's not "decimating" our program by opting out for his 5th year. And if it weren't for "crap transfers" we wouldn't have had Evee or Pierre.

I would agree but the past few years haven’t been bad - not since we lost Murphy and Petersen 3 years ago.

No 1 seeds will be in the Final Four. The last time that happened was in 2011 when the city of Houston also hosted the Final Four (although they did host one Final Four in 2016 as well).

So I think we are in a position where FAU could make the Final Four but we won’t see any of that money since it goes to CUSA teams staying in that conference? And Houston could have earned Rice some money I guess, but that ship has sailed too.

We are looking at a FF of KSU or FAU, and Gonzaga or UConn. And then San Diego State vs either Creighton or Princeton, and Miami vs.either Texas or Xavier. Will there be any tourists if Texas isn’t here?

CBS has to be hoping for a KSU, UConn, Creighton, Texas final four. Otherwise, I agree, F4 tickets at a record low price.

FAU up by 4 at the half over Kansas State. The Owls are attempting to become the first Rice conference opponent to make the Final Four since the 1998 Utah team lost in the title game to Kentucky.

(03-25-2023 06:10 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  FAU up by 4 at the half over Kansas State. The Owls are attempting to become the first Rice conference opponent to make the Final Four since the 1998 Utah team lost in the title game to Kentucky.

Go Owls!

Wow, they got it done! Rice fans can root for the Owls in the Final Four!!

Nice to see Michael Forrest make the big four free throws too at the end. He was a 4 year starter who was relegated to the bench this year with their transfers. But now he’s going to the Final Four.