Men's Basketball Preview 2010: A slammin' good time

By Ryan Glassman     11/11/10 6:00pm

Within the Inner Loop lies a congregation of students, faculty and staff representing the university through a number of academic and athletic pursuits. Inside the hedges, new discoveries are unearthed and exploits are inaugurated every day, be it the buckyball or a quest for a pole vaulting national championship. But for the men's basketball team, some of the biggest offseason accomplishments were made more than 6,000 miles away from campus. To find one of the highlights of the summer for the team, you would have had to travel to Turkey, where sophomore forward Arsalan Kazemi competed valiantly at the FIBA World Championships against the highest level of talent that the game has to offer. Kazemi averaged 12 points and seven rebounds per game for the Iranian team, including a 14-point, five-steal effort for Iran against the gold medal winning U.S. team, anchored by the likes of NBA stars Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose. Despite Iran's 1-4 record in the tournament, Kazemi's team played competitively throughout and played the heavily favored U.S. side closely for most of the first half of the match-up before the more talented side prevailed.

For a man who has respectably carried the weight of his country's national team, his newest task of propelling the men's basketball team to an improved 2010-2011 represents a role that Kazemi will have to step into. Figuring to be the focal point of the Owls' offense after averaging 10 points and nine rebounds as a freshman, the preseason C-USA second team selection is not holding back expectations for his young and improving squad.

"I want to make it to the NCAA Tournament," Kazemi said in an interview with the Houston Chronicle. "I don't want to wait until my junior year or senior year. I want to do it this year."

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In order to make it to the expanded 68-team field, Kazemi and the Owls will have to improve upon an eight-win season in which the team won just one game in conference play, but did so on the shoulders of a young nucleus of players who gained valuable experience in enduring the long college season. Rice freshmen and sophomores accounted for more than 70 percent of the team's scoring and assists in the 2009-2010 season, an extraordinary number that speaks toward the confidence that Head Coach Ben Braun has in his young recruits. This mix of young talent, along with a group of experienced veterans and promising freshmen, hopes to reverse last season's fortunes and make their teammate a man of his word.

Changing of the Guards

One of the most appealing preseason storylines for the Owls has been the changes in the backcourt from a year ago. Sophomore Tamir Jackson, who led the team in scoring, assists and steals last season while starting all 31 games at point guard, has moved over to shooting guard to start the season. For the second year in a row, the Owls will open up at point guard with a freshman, the 5-foot-9 Trevan Abraham from Sacramento, Calif. Abraham's open floor speed and pressure on-the-ball defense have impressed his coaches since he enrolled at Rice, casting him as Jackson's backcourt mate to begin the season. Braun looks at the move as a chance to maximize Jackson's greatest strength, that being his ability to get out in front on fast breaks and create for his teammates while still possessing the ability to get to the rim.

"Tamir is just so great in the open floor," Braun said of his sophomore guard whom the Owls will rely heavily on this season. "If he scores, great. But he and Trevan are going to be out there defending and taking care of the ball."

Braun also hopes that the move will help to cut down the team's turnovers, a problem that plagued Rice all of last season. With two very reliable ball-handlers in the backcourt, the turnovers are sure to go down for the Owls.

But Abraham and Jackson will certainly not be alone at the guard position for Rice this season. Returning to the lineup after missing the entire 2009-2010 season with a knee injury is the sharpshooting senior Cory Pflieger. Pflieger, who appeared in every game for the Owls two years ago, already ranks inside the top 10 in the program's history for career three pointers made. Pflieger put his shooting abilities on display in the team's exhibition win over Texas A&M- International University on Monday, making a pair of threes in the game's first five minutes before finishing with 11 points.

"For me its great to be back on the court," Pflieger said after the game, his first live action in front of a crowd in more than a year. "I've worked really hard to get back into condition. I just try to bring energy to the team when we need it."

Along with Pflieger's long-range shooting, junior guard Connor Frizzelle returns as the team's third leading scorer from a year ago. Frizzelle, who has started 38 games in his Rice career, provides another shooting weapon for Braun that will help to spread the floor and create looks for other teammates. Senior guard Bryan Beasley also stands to get extensive minutes at the point guard position after an impressive performance in the Owls' exhibition match in which his defense and energy provided serious problems for the Dustdevils. Junior Nate Schwarze, who also started a number of games last season, fits the Rice mold of experienced guards when called upon. Guard play will dictate the success of the Owls this season, and Braun will certainly have an arsenal of talented players to choose from.

Frontcourt

The aforementioned Kazemi, the team's leading rebounder and second leading scorer as a freshman, highlights an athletic group of bigs and appears to be on track for a breakout season after his name was introduced on a national stage this summer. Kazemi's athletic 6'8" frame creates a mismatch for opposing forwards, as he put his versatility on display while playing the wing and hitting multiple threes against Team USA in the World Championships.

"Arsalan is going to work intently on getting mid-post position rather than low-post position," Braun said about Kazemi's adjustments on the offensive end. Rather than burying himself underneath the basket, mid-post position will allow Kazemi to face the basket and beat his man off the dribble in addition to utilizing back-to-the-basket moves. Simply put, for Rice to make the leap this season that they have spoken of, Kazemi will need to live up to his billing as one of C-USA's best young players.

And while Braun has set his expectations high for Kazemi, he has openly challenged his other forwards to step up and produce for the front line.

"Who besides Arsalan is going to give me a consistent rebounding effort?" Braun asked his players after a disappointing closed-door scrimmage a few weeks ago. For Owl fans, one answer hopes to be senior Trey Stanton, the athletic 6'10" center who was second on the team in rebounds last year while starting 23 games. Stanton has shown his ability to step out and shoot the ball, but his coach has challenged him to have a greater impact rebounding the ball for his team.

"I've got to be more aggressive," Stanton said of his focus on improved rebounding in the preseason. "When the ball goes up, I have to think every rebound is mine."

Stanton figures to start at center for the Owls and will share time in the post with 6'8" junior forward Lucas Kuipers. Kuipers started more than half of the team's games last season and was the first player off the bench in another 12 games, averaging eight points and three rebounds for the Owls. A proven shooter with a quick release, Kuipers helps to spread the defense and will provide easy looks for his teammates in the post. Senior Suleiman Braimoh has developed a reputation as a hard-nosed defender and superb offensive rebounder, creating a number of second-chance opportunities while doing the dirty work in the post for Rice. Another key Owl is junior Emerson Herndon, who appeared in 23 games last season and figures to be a vital player coming off the bench for Braun. Sophomore Stuart Pirri saw limited time last season for Rice, but provides length off the bench and looks to have an increased role in the team's rotation this season.

And from the proven commodities, the focus now moves to the promising freshmen in Rice's frontcourt. And when discussing promise, there is no better place to start than with Omar Oraby, the 7'2" center who has turned his fair share of heads while roaming Rice's campus this fall. Oraby, similar to Kazemi a year ago, comes in with vast international experience but remains a bit of a mystery at the collegiate level. He has proven to be an astounding shot-blocker and rebounder while playing for the Egyptian junior national team and should contribute in those same areas for Rice this season. Oraby is joined by fellow freshmen David Chadwick and J.R. Reynolds, both of whom will look to contribute as forwards in their young Rice careers.

Schedule and Conference Play

Braun has again put together a demanding non-conference schedule, which starts tonight at Tudor Fieldhouse against the University of St. Thomas, for his young team Rice will also play home games against the likes of the University of Arizona, Texas Christian University and Louisiana State University as well as a trip to Austin to take on the University of Texas in a rematch of the Owls' close loss last year. Rice will also play in the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic in late December, where they will take on the University of Arkansas-Little Rock, Stetson University, the University of Miami (Fla.) and Oral Roberts University. The conference schedule begins Jan. 5 against Tulane University and is highlighted by home games against the University of Texas at El Paso, the University of Memphis and the University of Houston in late January and early February.

The outlook for the conference this season seems destined to be a return to normalcy, as Memphis Head Coach Josh Pastner has reloaded his program with one of the top freshman classes in the country. Right behind Memphis stands UTEP, the 2009-2010 regular season conference champs now under the leadership of former Chicago Bulls coach Tim Floyd. The University of Southern Mississippi will return all five of its starters, while Houston will look to build on its NCAA Tournament appearance after winning the C-USA Tournament as the number seven seed. The University of Tulsa and the University of Alabama at Birmingham will also jockey for position atop the conference, as the C-USA will look to make the leap to a three-bid conference when March comes around.

Season Outlook

Braun has preached a new, more workmanlike identity this season, as the Owls will look to make a leap forward after a turbulent 2009-2010 season.

"We are going to have to win some toughness battles this season," Braun said. "Sometimes all it comes down to is the 50-50 balls, the intensity and the desire."

This commitment to defense and tenacity has the Owls' 2010-2011 season looking much more optimistic than previous years. The play from the guards seems much improved, with two strong ball-handlers running the show and a number of shooters flanked on the wings. The strong crop of forwards will have to rebound well for the team to be successful while providing mismatches for opponents with their athleticism and shooting ability. The conference is strong as usual but has seen a number of players from last season leave for the NBA and therefore appears to be open for Rice to have some success.

For Owl basketball fans, there is clearly reason for excitement as a new season tips off and a number of young players seem poised for big seasons. With the tough 2009-2010 season well behind them, this squad will look to make some noise in the conference and strive toward the collective goal of getting Rice back to playing postseason basketball.

In the offseason, it was the efforts of individuals that garnered Rice some respect on the national level. With the opening tip tonight, it will be the efforts of the team that will work to keep that respect right where it belongs.

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