Men's Basketball hires VCU's Mike Rhoades

By Evan Neustater 3/28/14 4:22pm

The Rice University men’s basketball team hired former Virginia Commonwealth University assistant Mike Rhoades as its head coach, director of athletics Joe Karlgaard announced on Wednesday, March 26. The hiring comes in the wake of the resignation of former head coach Ben Braun, who relinquished his duties on March 13.

Prior to taking the coaching position at VCU, Rhoades held a head coaching position at NCAA Division III Randolph-Macon College, where he compiled a 197-76 record en route to four NCAA Tournament appearances, including two Sweet 16s. Rhoades’s RMC teams won six conference championships and held the national No. 1 ranking twice.

As a leading assistant under VCU Head Coach Shaka Smart, Rhoades helped lead the Rams to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the Final Four in 2011. Rhoades compiled a 137-46 record while coaching at VCU.

Following VCU’s Final Four run, Rhoades was promoted to assistant head coach in 2012, a year that saw VCU win a school-record 29 games and a spot in the NCAA Tournament. VCU has not missed an NCAA tournament since.

Athletic Director Joe Karlgaard said he was thrilled with the new hire, both from a basketball and personal perspective.

“First and foremost, we were looking for a person of high integrity and a proven winner,” Karlgaard said. “We got everything we wanted.”

Karlgaard also said Rhoades was Rice’s first choice in the hiring process.

“From the time I first assembled the pool of candidates, Mike Rhoades topped the list,” Karlgaard said. “He was the focus of our search from day one, and we developed a strong relationship over the course of the past 14 days.”

Rhoades said he is going to implement elements of VCU’s fast-paced style of defense, known as the “Havoc” system, which encourages a full-court press at all times to force turnovers and wear the opposing team down. VCU led the nation in steals and was third in turnover margin this season.

“We’re going after people, we’re going to have a lot of fun doing it,” Rhoades said. “There’s a lot of stuff from VCU that we’re going to take and from Coach Smart.”

Another important feature of the Havoc system is the coaches taking part of practice. Shaka Smart popularized the style, and Rhoades said he is going to continue the tradition.

“I’m going to sweat with my guys all the time; I think as a player you appreciate that,” Rhoades said. “My coaching staff and myself, we’re going to sweat with our guys. We’re going to jump in there."

Coach Rhoades also said up-tempo basketball improved the atmosphere both in the athletic department and on VCU’s campus. He says the new system will energize Rice basketball and its fans.

“The best thing about working [at VCU] was [Shaka Smart] created such great morale in the program and on campus,” Rhoades said. “People wanted to come watch our teams there, and that’s what we’re going to do here.”