The coaching of the Rice men’s basketball program has been criticized for decades for being too difficult to win.
Recruiting has been challenging because of the school’s strict academic standards, which don’t budge much for athletics. However, Ivy League academic requirements and the good impact a Rice degree can have on a student-athlete’s life are seen favorably by Rob Lanier, the Owls’ first-year coach.
Lanier recently told the Defender, “I think we are unique because one of our strengths has to be having a level of continuity.” I believe that most of the children that select Rice want to attend Rice and want to begin their education there. You have an opportunity to be different if you can locate enough guys who are academically worthy of being here, who are passionate about the game, and you can retain them for two or three years. That, in my opinion, makes our circumstance special.
Even if it’s for a rich name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal, Lanier believes that Rice’s academic record and post-graduation performance make it less likely that his athletes will choose to use the transfer portal. Compared to his peers in the American Athletic Conference, that will give him greater continuity.
A program based on one-year relationships is not what I desire. One of our strengths, the developmental component of a program, is having guys come in and get better. That’s what I want to be in.
According to Lanier, I therefore believed that Rice’s academic reputation would be the main factor in young people’s decision to attend. You are less likely to leave at the first hint of trouble or a check if you are receiving good treatment, growing, and experiencing success while earning a Rice diploma.
In my opinion, I like the difficulties that come with rice better than the difficulties that the terrain has just given us.
That made it simple for him to accept the Rice position this spring, only a few days after Lanier was abruptly let go following two seasons at SMU. After leading the Mustangs to a 10-win improvement and earning a position in the NIT Tournament, he appeared to turn a significant turnaround with the team.
For SMU administrators preparing to switch from AAC to the Power 4’s ACC, it wasn’t enough.
Before Rice sports director Tommy McClelland contacted Lanier, he wasn’t on the market. Ironically, not long after the run concluded at SMU, his wife, Dr. Dayo Lanier, asked her husband if he would take Rice into consideration.
“I was holding a press conference here on Tuesday,” Lanier stated.
Since then, he hasn’t turned around.
As soon as Lanier and his staff arrived, they started working on adding 10 new players to the Owls basketball roster, including Denver Anglin and Emory Lanier (his son), Caden Powell of Wyoming, Kellen Amos of Central Connecticut State, and South Carolina Upstate star Trae Broadnax. Alem Huseinovic and Andrew Akuchie, two players from the former Rice staff, were also rehired.
The Owls started off with a strong 7-3 record and a 2-0 ACC record after a new coach took over. Even though they are now on a five-game losing run, their 11 victories already equal the number they had the previous season.
Whatever happens this season, Lanier wants to get the Owls back into the NCAA for the first time since 1970. Before coming to SMU, the former assistant coach at the University of Texas did it at Georgia State and Siena.
According to Akuchie, everyone is still upbeat and cheerful. Everyone is thrilled to be here and eager for the next game, despite the fact that we are on a bit of a losing trend. It’s still going nicely, then.
Lanier’s coaching style, which is supportive and instructive, is the source of that optimism.
