Final grades signify improvement for men's basketball

By Brody Rollins     3/19/09 7:00pm

Last Thursday's 73-51 second-round defeat against the University of Tulsa in the Conference USA tournament capped the men's basketball team's first season under Head Coach Ben Braun. Though full of ups and downs, buzzer beaters and blowouts, it was a season that saw marked improvement on last year's disappointing finish and raises the expectations for Rice men's basketball in years to come. Though Rice has shown improvement in many areas, a 21-0 run by Tulsa three minutes into the first half showed just how far this team has to go. Playing their second game in as many days, the Owls were unable to keep pace with the Golden Hurricane, who came into the game with the second best record in C-USA. The Owls struggled offensively, as freshman guard Connor Frizzelle was the only Owl in double figures with 10 points. Senior guard Rodney Foster, Rice's third leading scorer with 10 points per game, was held to just eight points on 1-5 shooting.

After downing Rice, Tulsa went on to defeat the University of Alabama- Birmingham in the semifinals on Friday but could not pull off the upset in the final round against the University of Memphis, losing 64-39.

The defeat against the Golden Hurricane marked only the second time the Owls had lost by more than 10 points since the end of January, which players and coaches alike point to as a major turning point in the team's development.

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Though it is likely the game the players, coaches and fans would most like to forget, the loss to Tulane University at Tudor Fieldhouse on Jan. 28 changed the direction of the team and the course of the season. Just three days after that infamous buzzer-beater by Tulane guard Kevin Sims that made ESPN's top-10 plays of the day - which included an ejection of Sammy the Owl - Rice came back and beat East Carolina University and then won again against the University of Southern Mississippi a week later. In a season when wins were once again few and far between, the Owls managed to turn their most painful moment in two seasons full of misery into motivation that fueled their fire through the end of the year. After the team's late resurgence, it is fair to say that the season ended on a good note.

Still, there is much room for improvement. To highlight Rice's skills and needs, season-ending grades have been doled out. The grades given to each position are a reflection of how the players performed based on several criteria, including consistency, improvement, leadership and effectiveness.

Forwards: B+

Senior forward Aleks Perka had the best year of his career in his final season. Perka battled through injuries throughout the season, but when able to play he was one of the Owls' only threats inside besides sophomore center Trey Stanton.

Perka, who is interested in pursuing a professional basketball career in Poland after graduation, was especially thankful to his coaches and teammates alike for upping the win total and regaining the swagger that was lost last year.

"For me it was a great way to go out," Perka said. "It was a great season, with teammates that I really like and a great coaching staff behind me that was really helpful every day."

This position will be the deepest on the team next year as sophomore Suleiman Braimoh and freshman Emerson Herndon return. The two underclassmen showed glimpses of potential during increased playing time after Perka went down with a leg injury and freshman Lucas Kuipers lost the last two months with a broken wrist.

Kuipers started nine games out of the 16 he played in and was the second-leading scorer on the team with 8.8 points per game.

In addition to those three returnees, incoming freshman Arsalan Kazemi will likely see a substantial number of minutes as well. Kazemi was a top-30 recruit nationally according to Scout.com and is also the first Iranian-born player to play college basketball at the Division I level. He chose Rice over the University of Maryland, Seton Hall University, Oklahoma State University and the University of Missouri, and currently plays for the Patterson School in North Carolina, one of the top prep schools in the nation.

Center: B+

Stanton will inevitably inherit a leadership position on next year's squad, and deservedly so. His improvement over the last eight games was unequaled on the team.

"I don't know that anybody improved more than Trey," Braun said. "Trey improved in every aspect of his game. He stepped up his rebounding, interior scoring and perimeter shooting and really came on strong towards the end."

After sitting out last season due to transfer requirements, Stanton started slowly due to rust and had trouble getting comfortable playing with his back to the basket. It was not until late February that Stanton's effectiveness inside the paint began improving and he showed an obvious progression in his perimeter game.

His outside shot gave the Owls one of their most potent offensive weapons in the pick and roll with Foster at the top of the three-point line. The play opened up lanes for slashers like junior guards Cory Pflieger and Lawrence Ghoram, due to Stanton's range as a shooter.

But the downside to Stanton's game, and for that matter just about everyone else on the team, was his inefficiency rebounding the basketball. As the season went along, the Owls improved in nearly every category except offensive and defensive rebounding, which cost the team a number of close games and will be a significant point of emphasis for next year's team.

"Rebounding - that's still going to be a question mark," Braun said. "Our team doesn't rebound the ball as well as I'd like us to. A couple of the guys coming in can rebound, which will push a couple of our players and be really good for competition."

Guards: A-

Foster was the unquestioned leader on this year's squad. The team's success was tied at the hip to Foster's performance and no game better demonstrates that than the rematch with the University of Houston played at Tudor Fieldhouse over spring break.

After Foster picked up his fourth foul with eight minutes to play and was forced to watch from the bench, the Owls' 11-point lead evaporated along with all of their momentum on offense.

The backup point guard duo of Frizzelle and sophomore Bryan Beasley, who played mostly on the wing this year, struggled to provide the consistency and leadership that Foster brought to the table, but they will be aided by two more excellent recruits brought in for next year.

Incoming freshman Tamir Jackson, who plays for the second-best high school team in the nation at St. Benedict's in New Jersey, will compete immediately for the starting job.

The other, Stevie Rogers of undefeated Strake Jesuit in Houston, has given his verbal commitment to Rice and is known for his ball handling capabilities and speed.

Both recruits will give coach Braun plenty of options if he decides to move Frizzelle from wing, where he played this season, back to point.

Coaching: B+

Rice's rough start to the season had many looking to the bench for answers, but credit should be given to Braun and his staff for turning things around and providing a competitive game regardless of the opponent.

The team's ability to jump out early and hold leads going into the half was both a testament to its preparation and execution of the game plan.

Braun's first recruiting class had an immediate impact on the team, as both Kuipers and Frizzelle proved to be able starters. Next year's crop of players could be even better and has been ranked among the top classes for all mid-major schools.

In a season where improvement was modus operandi, the Owls did more than improve their record by seven games - they also improved their competitiveness. Last year, the scoring differential was minus-13, which the Owls lowered to minus-seven this year, mostly due to their second-half runs.

A disappointing aspect has been the team's relative low profile on campus, but that's something Braun hopes to change in the coming year. Braun recently took his first step by becoming an associate at Hanszen College.

"For us to have a Rice basketball tradition, it really has to start with our students," Braun said. "Autry Army has to be back in full force, because they can make a huge difference for us. We just have to make sure it's happening on a regular basis.

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