2007-2008 Rice Owls Basketball Preview

Rice Owls - Conference USA
2006-07: 16-16, 8-8, 7th
2006-07 postseason: none

Rice had the best player in the conference not coached by John Calipari last season and still could not get above the .500 mark. Now without their only double-digit scorer, the Owls will have to learn to play without a superstar. Considering the underachievement of last season, it may be a good thing for Coach Willis Wilson to start fresh.

Who’s Out:
Morris Almond only averaged 26.4 points and 6.6 rebounds. No other player on the team even reached double figures in the scoring column. That is 38 percent of the offense from one player. And if that was not enough, the next two high scorers on the team are also gone. Lorenzo Williams added 9.1 points per game, but it was his 5.0 assists and ability to create for his teammates, or Almond more accurately, that Rice will miss even more. Big man Greg Killings was a decent post scorer and rebounder, averaging 6.8 points and 6.2 rebounds during his senior campaign. Forward Charles Belton played a few minutes a game off the bench, but will not be suiting up for the Owls this season. The loss of Almond may set the team back in the win column, but the loss of walk-on Jonathan Bailey goes well behind the game of basketball. Bailey was stabbed to death in April shortly after his 22nd birthday.

Who’s In:
Bryan Beasley would give a huge boost to the backcourt if he is eligible to play. The transfer from Texas A&M redshirted during his only season with the Aggies and is awaiting an eligibility ruling from the NCAA. The 6-0 combo guard is a great shooter with plenty of range and can quickly fill up the scoring sheet. If available, Beasley will be starting. If Beasley is not suiting up this year, Jasen Williams will see more action. Another combo guard, Williams will look to find his teammates, but he could develop into a decent scorer as well. However, it may take a year or two in the system first before Williams becomes a major contributor. Coach Wilson and Rice fans will hope Suleiman Braimoh and Scott Saunders can play significant minutes up front right away. The 6-8 Braimoh is a good rebounder and shot blocker who can add a few easy buckets around the basket. At 6-10 and 240 pounds, Saunders will at least be a big body off the bench for now. Saunders has surprising skills for a player his size and can hit the outside shot and find his teammates.

Who to Watch:
Cory Pflieger and Chris Hagan only averaged 6.3 and 5.1 points, respectively, but they will be counted on to increase their production and be the leaders of the team. Pflieger is a pure shooter and if he keeps hitting 41.9 percent of his attempts from long range, he will be a big scorer this year. If he could get to the basket more it would certainly help his overall game and not allow the opposition to key in on his one dimensional offensive skill set. Hagan will run the point after averaging 2.4 assists as a freshman last year. He is a decent floor leader and, while he will not hit the outside shot often, is a more than capable scorer. Ideally, Rodney Foster would be the sharpshooter off the bench, although his outside shot could stand to be a little sharper. If Beasley is not eligible, Foster could end up starting. Pflieger, Hagan and Foster would comprise a very small backcourt with Pflieger the tallest of the bunch at 6-3. Lawrence Ghoram, at 6-5, would definitely help out the perimeter group in the rebounding department. He did not see too many minutes as a freshman however and that may likely be the case again this season.

Final Rice Projection:
Patrick Britton and Paulius Packevicius logged the most minutes of any of the returning players. Like everybody else, Britton and Packevicius will need to step up and shoulder some of the scoring load left behind by Almond. Britton will battle in the paint, but he needs to develop a more consistent shooting stroke. Packevicius, at 6-9 and 230 pounds, is a big body under the basket. He is not much of a scorer either, but Britton or Packevicius could develop into a better scorer now that they will get more touches. Aleks Perka, along with the newcomers, will provide the depth off the bench. Perka has some scoring potential, but he has yet to prove it on the floor through his first two seasons at Rice. The team is full of question marks and the Owls should definitely take a step back from last year. Almond is just a huge loss, but the team will have to look at it as a new start with new opportunities for every player on the team to play their part and step up and prove they can stick together and win some games. If Rice can find a couple scorers, preferably including one in the frontcourt, they will play good enough defense to grind out some conference victories.

Projected Post-season Tournament: none

Projected Starting Five:

• Chris Hagan, Sophomore, Guard, 5.1 points per game

• Rodney Foster, Junior, Guard, 4.4 points per game

• Cory Pflieger, Junior, Guard, 6.3 points per game

• Patrick Britton, Senior, Forward, 5.1 points per game

• Paulius Packevicius, Senior, Forward, 3.4 points per game

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