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2012-13 RICE OWLS BASKETBALL
2012-13
TABLE OF CONTENTS WHAT’S INSIDE Opponents ........................2 Tamir Jackson ....................5 Head Coach Ben Braun ......8 Assistant Coaches..............10
Meet the Players ..............12 David W. Leebron ............20 Rick Greenspan ................22 Rice Through The Years....27
GAME NOTE Rice opens the season at home for the fifth-straight year. The Owls are 3-1 in four season openers under head coach Ben Braun, including a three-game winning streak on opening day. Rice is 9-0 against its first three opponents of the season with six of the wins coming against Houston Baptist. The Owls have won their last three home openers by an average of 25 points. 2012-13 SCHEDULE Up Next for the Owls Date Opponent Time/Result Sat., Nov. 10 St. Thomas 7 p.m. Wed., Nov. 14 St. Edwards 7 p.m. Sat., Nov. 17 at Temple 7 p.m. Thu., Nov. 22 vs. Georgia Tech# 8 p.m. Fri., Nov. 23 DirectTV Classic TBA Sun., Nov. 25 DirectTV Classic TBA Sat., Dec. 1 Houston Baptist 7 p.m. Wed., Dec. 12 LIU Brooklyn 7 p.m. Sat., Dec. 15 Hartford 7 p.m. Wed., Dec. 19 Chicago St. 7 p.m. Sat., Dec. 22 TCU 7 p.m. Sat., Dec. 29 at Texas 1 p.m. Sat., Jan. 5 at Harvard 3 p.m. Wed., Jan. 9 Southern Miss* 7 p.m. Sat., Jan. 12 at Tulsa* 5:30 p.m. Wed., Jan. 16 Memphis* 6 p.m. Sat., Jan. 19 New Orleans 7 p.m. Wed., Jan. 23 at UCF* 6 p.m. Sat., Jan. 26 at Tulane* 1 p.m. Wed., Jan. 30 Houston* 7 p.m. Sat., Feb. 2 East Carolina* 7 p.m. Wed., Feb. 6 at UTEP* 8 p.m. Sat., Feb. 9 SMU* 7 p.m. Wed., Feb. 13 at Marshall* 6 p.m. Sat., Feb. 16 at UAB* 7 p.m. Sat., Feb. 23 Tulane* 7 p.m. Wed., Feb. 27 at SMU* 7 p.m. Sat., March 2 UTEP* 7 p.m. Wed., March 6 at Houston* 7 p.m. Sat., March 9 Tulsa* 7 p.m. # DirecTV Classic (Anaheim, Calif.) * Conference USA game All game times are tentative and subject to change
The 2012 Official Rice Men’s Basketball Gameday Program is published by the Rice University Athletics Department and IMG College.
RICE UNIVERSITY DIVISION OF ATHLETICS Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan Asst. Athletics Director, Sports Information Chuck Pool Photography Tommy LaVergne, Anthony Vasser Cover Photos Anthony Vasser
www.imgworld.com 888/484-4678 CORPORATE OFFICERS Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Michael Dolan President, Sports and Entertainment George Pyne IMG COLLEGE President Ben C. Sutton, Jr. Senior Vice President, Chief Operating Officer Tony Crispino Senior Vice President, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer Roger VanDerSnick Senior Vice President, Business Development Hunter Nickell Senior Vice President, Chief Innovation Officer Mark Dyer Vice President, Strategic Communications Andrew Giangola PUBLISHING Senior Vice President, Operations Joe Potter Vice President, Publishing John Justus Director of Publishing Kirk Phillips Managing Editors Chad Laytham, Matt Coy, Jason Crisler Project Editors Jason Brunn, Richard Groves, John Stegeman, Brandon Brown Editorial Division Dan Peters, Kara Schroyer, Todd Krise, Courtney Feltner, Tommy Dillard Creative Director Kristy Marques Design Studio Sarah Jane Snowden, Joy Chambers RICE IMG SPORTS MARKETING General Manager, Rice Sports Properties Sammy Torres Client Services Coordinator Alexandra Richoux Broadcast Manager/Voice of the Owls JP Heath PUBLICATION ADVERTISING/MARKETING Director, Local/Regional Print Sales Doug Iler, 502/459-4346 Marketing & Fulfillment Director Matt Briggs, 859/226-4556
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2012 RICE OWLS BASKETBALL
MATCHING UP VS. THE OWLS
OPPONENT ROSTERS MEET THE CELTS St. Thomas (Houston) No. Name 0 Barrett Lauer 1 Sean Edwards 3 Dante Maxwell 5 Travis Lampley 12 Adrian Morales 13 Deric Dudley 20 Patrick Graves 22 Bryan Kaase 23 Blake Torres 32 Nate McAnelly 33 Caleb Williams 34 Ryan Victor 40 Ian Davis 42 Andrew Graves 44 Henoc Jean 50 Ramy Mahfouz Head Coach: Todd Smith Assistant Coach: Erich Schoeffler
Pos. G G G G G G F F G F F G F F F F
Nov. 10, 2012 Ht. 6-3 5-8 5-8 5-11 5-9 6-3 6-5 6-4 6-0 6-6 6-5 6-1 6-7 6-7 6-6 6-6
Wt. 180 175 155 165 165 185 195 205 155 190 200 190 225 220 195 200
Class Sr. Fr. Fr. Sr. Sr. So. Sr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Fr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Jr.
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. 1 James Stukes F 6-5 225 5 Jeff Campbell G 6-2 185 10 Frankie Mgbolu G 5-11 170 11 Matt Miner G 6-3 180 12 Joseph Saldana G 5-8 155 14 Harley Nussman F 6-10 230 21 John Rutherford G 6-1 177 23 Quinton Lilley G/F 6-4 205 24 Zilijan Jones G 5-9 190 25 Zac Graham G 6-0 180 31 Conner Kjer F 6-6 210 32 Shimeek Johnson G/F 6-7 215 33 Jae Ricketts F 6-5 205 34 Tyler Foster G 6-5 215 35 Evan Doremus F 6-8 195 44 Chris Wacker F 6-7 215 Head Coach: Andre Cook Assistant Coaches: Jack Dorn, Mike Grushkin, Tim Hamstra
Class Jr. Sr. Fr. Jr. Sr. So. Jr. So. Jr. Sr. So. Sr. Fr. Jr. Fr. Jr.
MEET THE HILLTOPPERS St. Edwards
Nov. 14, 2012
MEET THE HUSKIES Houston Baptist No. Name Pos. Ht. 2 Marcel Smith G 5-6 3 Tyler Russell G 6-0 4 Art Bernardi F 6-9 5 James Harper G 6-4 10 Lamar Thomas C 6-9 11 Anthony Hill G 6-0 12 Rob Lewis G 5-11 14 Aaron Asp G 5-10 15 Mike Turner G 6-2 22 Dauson Womack G/F 6-6 23 Dewayne Bowden G 5-11 32 Marcus Davis G/F 6-5 33 Spenser Gales C 6-8 34 Caleb Crayton G/F 6-3 35 Jonathan Evans G 5-10 42 Cody Joyce F 6-8 Head Coach: Ron Cottrell Assistant Coach: Steven Key, Jud Kinne, Jeremy Case
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Previous School Montgomery HS Waltrip HS Corpus Christi King HS Reagan HS Deer Park/San Jacinto Elkins HS Liberty Hill HS Klien Collins HS University of Houston/Friendswood HS Bridge City HS Bush HS North Shore HS Clear Creek HS/UCLA/San Jac Liberty Hill HS/Austin CC Elkins HS Mount Olive/Cairo, Egypt
Hometown Harlem, N.Y. Allen, Texas Tucson, Ariz. Clifton Park, N.Y. San Marcos, Texas Pearland, Texas Bowie, Md. San Bernardino, Calif. Chicago, Ill. Austin, Texas Whittier, Calif. Albany, N.Y. Parker, Texas Albany, N.Y. Cypress, Texas Universal City, Texas
Dec. 1, 2012 Wt. 150 180 225 185 235 175 180 180 170 205 165 190 190 205 170 220
Class So. So. Sr. Fr. Sr. Sr. Fr. Jr. So. Fr. So. Sr. Fr. Fr. Jr. Fr.
Hometown Detroit, Mich. Goodyear, Ariz. Caxias do Sul, Brazil Phoenix, Ariz. Littleton, Colo. Plano, Texas Clear Lake, Texas Houston, Texas Alpharetta, Ga. Milwaukee, Wis. Houston, Texas Glendale, Ariz. Wichita, Kan. Oklahoma City, Okla. Houston, Texas Churchton, Md.
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2012 RICE OWLS BASKETBALL
TAMIR JACKSON
EMBRACES LEADER ROLE
R
ice basketball fans already know Tamir Jackson as an athletic guard that can seemingly score from anywhere on the court. They may also know about his hard work in the community in his spare time. But one of the biggest questions surrounding the team’s lone senior is whether the guard is ready to lead a young team into a challenging schedule at the start of the 2012-13 campaign. The Owls open with a rough non-conference schedule, facing traditional powers such as Temple and Texas in addition to a tough nationally televised slate of games at the DirecTV Classic in Anaheim just two weeks into the season. Fortunately for Rice and fifth-year head coach Ben Braun, the team’s top returning scorer is excited to take on a prominent leadership role for his final campaign. “The transition came easily for me, because I knew I was going to have to take on a leadership role this season, as a senior,” Jackson said. “I already had it in my mind to take on a leadership role when I went to train over the summer, and some older pro players taught me how to be vocal and be a leader.” According to some of his younger teammates, those leadership qualities were apparent the moment they arrived on campus prior to the start of the fall semester. Freshman guard Keith Washington says that Jackson not only leads vocally, but by example as well. The freshman noted that Jackson’s work ethic and desire for success is unparalleled. “He has put together team meetings without the coaches and he just has laid it out to us that he is going to fight for us,” Washington said. “It almost made me cry. He really touched my emotional side.” Jackson knew this would eventually be his destiny, whether or not he knew when the opportunity would come or what path he might take to get there. “Coach Braun always thought I was a leader and he pushed for me to lead, but as a younger guy, I would fight it because we had older players and I wanted to lead by the way I play, instead of by talk-
Tamir Jackson entered the season with 1,135 career points and 87 starts in 97 games played. ing and being a vocal leader,” Jackson said. “So now I try to be more vocal and communicate with the guys every day and tell them what they can do better. Try to help out because this is my fourth year. I’ve played college basketball for three years so I know to expect on the court.” Jackson entered the season with 1,135 career points and started 87 of the 97 games played in his career, so his teammates know that he has what it takes to be successful on the court. Jackson is the top returning scorer from a team that won 19 games and advanced to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament quarterfinals just a year ago. Through three seasons, he already ranks in the program’s top 10 in both assists and steals. Despite that on-court prowess, Jackson hasn’t always felt comfortable as a younger player in taking control of the team. “I always knew I wanted to be a team leader. But a lot of times when I would say things as a younger player, people didn’t want to listen simply because I was younger,” Jackson said. “I knew that once I got older and had younger teammates that were willing to listen, it would be so much easier.” (Story continued on page 24)
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The Open Lay-Up With :00.1 On The Clock. That’s Logistics. The forward sets a pick. The guard curls around, streaking towards the hoop. The center lobs the ball to the guard, who banks the winning basket into the net. The coordination of personnel and equipment designed to achieve the best possible results. That’s logistics. At UPS, we understand logistics. We live logistics. We love logistics.
Official Logistics Company of Rice Athletics thenewlogistics.com © 2012 United Parcel Service of America, Inc. UPS, the UPS brandmark, and the color brown are trademarks of United Parcel Service of America, Inc. All rights reserved.
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arly in his tenure, Rice University basketball coach Ben Braun positioned the Owls for the future. The success on the recruiting trail, work on the practice court and efforts in the community have certainly come to fruition. This past season, Braun’s fourth year guiding the Rice program, the Owls won 19 games, marking the program’s most wins and first winning season since the 2004-05 campaign. The Owls’ record included an 8-8 mark in Conference USA play as the Owls finished seventh in the final league standings and equaled their best C-USA record. Late in the regular season, Rice charged back from a double-digit deficit at home against UCF to beat the Knights 83-74 and give Braun his 600th career victory. He became the 40th head coach in NCAA Division I history and the 64th NCAA coach, regardless of division, to win 600 career games. Rice advanced to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament where it won a postseason game for the first time since 1993 and went on to record multiple victories in a postseason tournament for the first time in program history. The Owls advanced to the quarterfinals of the CIT.
IN THE CLASSROOM Under Braun’s leadership, the Owls have excelled in the classroom. Rice Basketball received Conference USA’s Sport Academic Award during the summer of 2011. The award annually recognizes the team with the highest grade point average for each conference-sponsored sport. During the fall, 2011 semester, members of the Rice basketball team combined for a 3.099 term grade point average. In four seasons at Rice, Braun has had a total of 15 student-athletes named to the Conference USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll a total of 26 times.
PERSONAL A native of Chicago, Braun graduated from New Trier High School, where he starred in both basketball and baseball. He went on to play one year of basketball at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse before he transferred to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He earned a teaching degree in English in June of 1975 with a minor in African-American Studies. Five years later, he earned his master’s degree in guidance and counseling from Siena Heights. Braun and wife Jessica have a son, Julius (3), and a daughter, Eliza, born in April 2012. 8
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2012-13 RICE OWLS BASKETBALL
ASSISTANT COACHES
GUIDING THE OWLS LOUIS REYNAUD
ADAM COHEN
Associate Head Coach San Francisco State, 1982 As the Associate Head Coach for Rice Basketball, Louis Reynaud begins his fifth season as one of the country’s most respected and accomplished assistant coaches. During his tenure at Rice, Reynaud has helped build the foundation for a rise to the top of Conference USA. In Reynaud’s first season at Rice, the program made immediate strides as the Owls more than tripled their total victories from the previous season. Following that first year, he helped Rice sign an early recruiting class that both ESPN.com and Rivals.com recognized as one of the Top 10 among mid-major universities. And that recruiting success has continued. Reynaud received his bachelor’s degree from San Francisco State in 1982 and a master’s degree in health/physical education from Saint Mary’s College in 1995. Reynaud has one daughter, Lauren (20).
Assistant Coach Arizona, 2008 Adam Cohen is in his first season as a member of the Rice Basketball coach staff. Prior to joining the Rice staff, Cohen received increased responsibilities each of the previous three seasons while on the basketball staff at Southern Cal. The 2008 graduate of Arizona served as a student manager/assistant video coordinator for three years at UA. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in political science, Cohen was a graduate assistant at New Orleans during the 2008-09 season. Cohen has worked numerous summer basketball camps including Five Star, Arizona, Buffalo and USC. He also ran a camp in Chengdu, China during the summer of 2007 for Nike Basketball. Cohen grew up in Buffalo, N.Y., and attended Williamsville North High where he played basketball for four seasons.
GUS ARGENAL Assistant Coach UC Davis, 2004 Gus Argenal, who spent the 2011-12 season as a member of the staff at UC Davis, was named to the Rice coaching staff in June, 2012. Argenal joined the Rice staff after spending the past four years coaching in Northern California. Prior to returning to UC Davis, Argenal’s alma mater, he spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Chico State. Argenal was one of UC Davis’ all-time best point guards and still shares the school’s game record for assists (13). He graduated from UC Davis in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in history and earned a master’s degree in education from Arizona State in 2005. Argenal’s wife, the former Hannah Turner, played for the UC Davis women’s team. The couple has two sons, Bo (2) and Ace, who turned one in August. 10
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SUPPORT STAFF Rice Owls
Adam Gierlach Video Coord.
Barbara Gill Events Coord.
Dean Miller Athletic Trainer
Chris Palomarez Equip. Mgr.
Gaelyn Rose Dir. of Operations
Ben Sanders Grad. Asst.
Thomas Walter Mgr.
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2012-13 RICE OWLS BASKETBALL
MEET THE PLAYERS
TAKING THE COURT FOR RICE No. 1 3 4 5 10 11
Name Max Guercy Tamir Jackson Nizar Kapic Keith Washington Dan Peera Ross Wilson
Pos. G G G/F G G F
Ht. 5-9 6-3 6-6 6-1 6-0 6-7
Wt. 170 194 195 170 185 205
Yr./Exp. Fr./HS Sr./3L Fr./HS Fr./HS So./1L Fr./HS
15 41 42 44
Julian DeBose Seth Gearhart Austin Ramljak Bahrom Firozgary
G F G F
6-4 6-7 6-3 6-8
196 215 170 200
So./1L So./1L Jr./TR Jr./HS
Hometown/Previous School Arleta, Calif./Bishop Alemany HS Paterson, N.J./St. Benedict’s Preparatory Sankt Poelten, Austria/Perkiomen School Philadelphia, Pa./Mont Clare Academy Concord, Calif./De La Salle HS Gosforth, England/ Queen Alexandra Sixth Form Coll. Washington, D.C./St. John College High Wilsonville, Ore./Wilsonville HS Thousand Oaks, Calif./Ventura College Houston/Stratford HS
#1 MAX GUERCY
#3 TAMIR JACKSON
Bishop Alemany High School Helped lead Bishop Alemany High School to its first Division III CIF state championship as a senior ... Tray Meeks-coached team posted a 33-4 record during the 2011-12 season, culminating with a 71-67 win over Sacred Heart Cathedral in the state title game ... scored 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the championship game ... for the season, averaged 18 points along with four assists and four rebounds ... earned First-Team CIF Division 3 All-State honors and was named the Division 3A Co-Player of the Year ... named the Mission League Co-MVP while leading Alemany to its first league title since 1999.
Senior Campaign Enters his senior campaign with 1,135 career points at Rice ... has a 11.7 career scoring average ... ranks 25th all-time in scoring at Rice, 10th in all-time assists and ninth in all-time steals at Rice ... has played in 97 games during his career, starting 89 contests ... at the conclusion of his junior season, received Conference USA’s Spirit of Service Award in recognition of his community service ... is a volunteer for Big Brothers / Big Sisters of Greater Houston and has been a regular speaker at elementary schools.
Personal Born in Panorama City, Calif., on July 29, 1994 ... son of Marilyn and Max, Sr., Guercy ... has two older sisters, Lilia and Marilyn Jr. Rice College: Wiess
As a Junior (2011-12) Averaged 10.5 points and 2.5 rebounds ... scored 357 points during the year ... had 100 assists and 26 steals during the season ... 2.9 assists per game tied for 12th among Conference USA players. As a Sophomore (2010-11) Scored 487 points during sophomore season, averaging 13.9 points an outing ... 14.3 points per game in Conference USA games led the team.
SOPHOMORE JULIAN DEBOSE
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Personal Born Dec. 29, 1990 in Passaic, N.J. ... son of Taihessa Jackson Lee and Sam White ... has three younger siblings, Tamia White, Rayya Lee and Sam White ... Sport Management major. Rice College: McMurtry
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2012-13 RICE OWLS BASKETBALL
MEET THE PLAYERS
TAKING THE COURT FOR RICE #4 NIZAR KAPIC
#10 DAN PEERA
Perkiomen School In pursuit of playing basketball at the NCAA Division I level, attended the Perkiomen School his senior year ... in his lone year at the school, led the Panthers to their first-ever Tri-County League championship, scoring 18 points in a 69-32 win over Delaware Valley Friends ... scored 21 points and had seven rebounds in his first ever high school game ... finished the season averaging 13.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game ... shot 55 percent from the field and converted on 80 percent of his free throw attempts in his lone season playing for the Perkiomen School ... Mark Longstreth-coached team posted a 25-3 record and was 14-0 in league play ... previously played for UBC Sankt Polten in Austria.
As a Freshman (2011-12) Saw action in six games during freshman season at Rice ... had a rebound in each of his first three games played in an Owl uniform ... scored his first career field goal in the Owls’ win over Florida A&M.
Personal Born in Lilienfeld, Austria on Oct. 24, 1992 ... son of Semir and Indira Kapic ... has a younger brother, Nadim (12). Rice College: Lovett
#5 KEITH WASHINGTON Frankford High School One of the top five point guards coming out of Philadelphia in 2011 who elected to attend Mont Clare Academy prep school following high school ... named the PIAA District 12-4A Most Valuable Player as well as the Northeast Times Player of the Year ... graduated third in his class from Frankford High School in 2011 ... was the recipient of the White Williams Scholarship and also received the J. Wesley Harvey Alumni Grant for Academic Excellence. Personal Born in Philadelphia, Pa., on May 7, 1993 ... son of Tracy Wiggins and Keith Washington Sr. ... has two older brothers, Ronald Lassiter and ShaKeith Washington. Rice College: Hanszen
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De La Salle High School Member of high school team which captured the Nor Cal Championship ... the Spartans defeated favored Castro Valley for the Nor Cal title and advanced to play in the California state championship game ... team also captured the East Bay Athletic League championship senior year, posting a 27-5 overall record ... De La Salle also won the EBAL championship junior year ... team defeated Newark Memorial in the North Coast Section Championship after losing to the same opponent a year earlier in the state playoffs ... Spartans posted a 26-3 record during the 2009-10 season ... high school coach was Frank Allocco ... National Honor Society member who was also involved in the Student Coalition on Respectful Education. Personal Daniel Peera ... born Dec. 24, 1992 in Des Plaines, Ill. ... son of Dennis and Alberta Peera ... has a younger brother, Michael. Rice College: Will Rice
SOPHOMORE SETH GEARHART
TULSA
Playbill ads_Layout 1 10/29/12 3:11 PM Page 1
2013 C-USA Women's 2012 C-USA Basketball Championship Women's Championship && 2013 C-USA Men's 2012 C-USA Basketball Championship Men's Championship 창창 March7-10 13-16 March BOK Center FedExForum The women will play first-round and quarterfinal
The women will first-round and games at the play Tulsa Convention Center. quarterfinal games in Elma Roane 창 Fieldhouse
Hosted by Tulsa
For ticket information, contact your local university's athletic ticket office. East Carolina 252/737-4500 Houston 713/GO-COOGS Marshall 800/THE-HERD Memphis 888/867-UofM Rice 713/522-OWLS SMU 214/SMU-GAME
Southern Miss 601/266-5418 Tulane 504/861-WAVE Tulsa 918/631-GoTU UAB 205/975-UAB1 UCF 407/UCF-1000 UTEP 915/747-6150
For information on the host city visit: www.visittulsa.com Join us for four days of exciting basketball action as C-USA teams compete for the men's and women's basketball championship titles! Be sure to visit conferenceusa.com for all the latest information and updates about the 2013 C-USA Basketball Championships.
TICKETS
창 p Hosted by Memphis
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2012-13 RICE OWLS BASKETBALL
MEET THE PLAYERS
TAKING THE COURT FOR RICE #11 ROSS WILSON
#41 SETH GEARHART
Queen Alexandra Sixth Form College Attended Queen Alexandra Sixth Form College which provides a unique school-college partnership to prepare students for university studies and life following school ... as a student, was active in the North East Sports Academy ... has been a member of the Newcastle Eagles since age 12, coming up through the Eagles Academy ranks and representing Newcastle at National League level events in several age groups ... played this past year for the Eagles Team Northumbria in the English National League Division II.
Sophomore Campaign Selected by the coaching staff to be a part of a pilot leadership program within the athletic department ... completed the department’s “Developing Leaders in Sports and in Life” program during the 2011-12 academic year.
Personal Born in Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom on March 9, 1993 ... son of Christine Wilson and Tony Phillip. Rice College: Lovett
#15 JULIAN DEBOSE As a Freshman (2011-12) In first season at Rice, averaged 3.7 points and 1.5 rebounds ... had 26 assists, 29 steals and four blocks in 34 games played ... rookie started eight games during the year including all three games of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament ... led Rice in scoring his collegiate debut, finishing with 12 points against New Orleans.
As a Freshman (2011-12) Averaged 1.7 points and 1.1 rebounds as a freshman ... shooting 47.4 percent from the field and made 7-of-17 three-pointers during the season ... debuted with five points in the Owls’ season-opening win over New Orleans. Wilsonville High School Averaged 18.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists en route to being named to the Class 5A Oregon All-State First-Team as a senior ... unanimously selected the Northwest Oregon Conference Player of the Year and also named to the Class 5A All-Tournament team ... shot 54 percent from the field and was an 81-percent shooter at the free throw line. Personal Seth Clarence Gearhart ... born Oct. 17, 1992 in Wilsonville, Ore. ... son of Rolf and Lauren Gearhart ... has a younger sister, Nicole. Rice College: Will Rice
St. John College High School First-team All-Metropolitan as well as a First-Team All-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference ... named the team’s Most Outstanding Senior. Personal Julian DeBose ... born April 28, 1992 in Washington, D.C. ... son of Julius and Michelle DeBose ... has two older siblings, Chante Ford and LaKisha Blalock ... father played basketball at Bowie State ... Rice College: Duncan
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SOPHOMORE DAN PEERA
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2012-13 RICE OWLS BASKETBALL
MEET THE PLAYERS
TAKING THE COURT FOR RICE #42 AUSTIN RAMLJAK
#44 BAHROM FIROZGARY
Ventura College Named to the 2012 All-Western State Conference Team ... ranked sixth in the conference in scoring as a sophomore, averaging 19.2 points per game ... converted 102-of-250 three-point attempts (40.8 percent) ... 74.7 percent free throw shooter ... also averaged 4.4 rebounds to go along with 43 total assists and 21 steals.
Stratford High School Averaged 10.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 2.0 assists as a senior for head coach Mitch Hornsby ... earned Stratford’s Defensive Player of the Year award ... helped lead the Spartans to the bi-district playoffs two times and the the 2009 Houston ISD Jaycees Tournament consolation bracket title ... named second team all-district in 2010 and earned honorable mention accolades in the season before ... for his career, averaged 8.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game to accompany 2.0 assists and 1.0 blocks in four seasons ... academically, was co-valedictorian of his class, graduating with summa cum laude honors ... served as National Honor Society vice president and church youth group president ... earned the rank of Eagle Scout and was active in student council.
Oak Park High School All-California Interscholastic Federation selection who was also named All-Ventura County and named All Tri-Valley ... scored 25 points in the 2010 Ventura County All Star game ... as a senior, averaged 16.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Personal Born in Tarzana, Calif., on May 12, 1991 ... son of Mark and Debbie Ramljak ... has a younger brother, Keith, and an older sister, Taylor. Rice College: Hanszen
Personal Born Dec. 2, 1991 in Houston ... son of Farrokh and Mahnaaz Firozgary ... has one sister ... Biochemistry major (pre-medicine). Rice College: Wiess
SENIOR TAMIR JACKSON
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2012-13 RICE OWLS BASKETBALL
RICE PRESIDENT
DAVID W. LEEBRON
D
avid W. Leebron has served as Rice University’s seventh president since 2004, a period of growth and transformation for the institution. Early in his presidency, Leebron engaged in extensive consultations that produced the Vision for the Second Century, a plan for Rice’s growth and advancement as one of the world’s premier research universities. As Rice approaches its centennial anniversary this October, the university is well-positioned for its second hundred years. Undergraduate enrollment has increased 30 percent since 2004. More than 15,000 applications were received for the fall 2012 class, with more than 11,000 applications from outside of Texas. International applicants increased fivefold. Undergraduate and graduate students come from 89 countries. Much like Rice’s first president, Edgar Odell Lovett, Leebron has a powerful international vision and has reached out to Asia and Latin America. New study-abroad programs in Argentina and India have been added, along with study and research opportunities in China, Brazil and Turkey. Leebron also has strengthened the university’s local presence with programs that connect students and faculty with the Greater Houston community, such as Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, home to the Houston Area Survey. Under Leebron’s leadership, the campus has added two new residential colleges, bringing the total to 11; the 10-story BioScience Research Collaborative, where scientists and educators from Rice and other Texas Medical Center institutions work together; a new recreation and wellness center; an additional food servery; a central campus pavilion that serves as a meeting and study place; an updated sports arena; a new physics building; and the Public Art Program, a presidential initiative that has added beautiful art across campus. Prior to taking the helm at Rice, Leebron was dean of Columbia Law School. A native of Philadelphia, he is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, where he was elected president of the Law Review in his second year. After graduating
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in 1979, he served as a law clerk for Judge Shirley Hufstedler on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in Los Angeles. He began teaching at the UCLA School of Law in 1980 and at the NYU School of Law in 1983. In 1989, Leebron joined the faculty of Columbia Law School, and in 1996 he was appointed dean and the Lucy G. Moses Professor of Law. Leebron also served as a visiting fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law in Hamburg, Germany, and as the Jean Monnet Visiting Professor of Law at Bielefeld University. He is currently part of the political science faculty at Rice and has authored a textbook on international human rights. In 2006, Leebron was presented with France’s Commandeur de l’Ordre national du Mérite, and in 2008, he received an honorary doctorate from Nankai University. In 2010, Leebron and his wife, University Representative Y. Ping Sun, were selected by the Greater Houston Partnership as the city’s International Executives of the Year for helping make Houston a center of international business. Leebron and Sun have two children, Daniel and Merissa.
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2012-13 RICE OWLS BASKETBALL
RICE DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS
RICK GREENSPAN
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ick Greenspan, who led successful athletics programs, facilities construction and fundraising campaigns as athletics director at Indiana University, West Point and Illinois State, was named Rice University’s 15th Director of Athletics on March 12, 2010. Greenspan has more than 32 years of administrative and managerial experience in intercollegiate athletics, physical education and recreation at public and private universities. He has worked closely with Rice President David Leebron to create a Vision for Rice Athletics as the school enters its second century. He initiated a comprehensive study of the future of Rice Stadium. The first phase of that process focused on the support systems for the football team and concluded with the approval by the Rice Board of Trustees for a $44.5 million football facility at the south end of Rice Stadium to improve the stadium facilities and fan experience. He has also overseen the development a new $7 million tennis facility which is currently undergoing final design concepts. Greenspan has endeavored to enhance the Owl Club as the primary engine of Rice’ Athletic Development efforts. He served as the C-USA representative on the NCAA Championship Cabinet before being named to the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee in September. Indiana captured eight individual or team national titles during Greenspan’s tenure from 2004 to 2008. He oversaw a 24-sport NCAA Division IA intercollegiate athletics program with a $53 million operating budget, nearly 700 student-athletes and a coaching and administrative staff of more than 175. He organized the university’s first comprehensive capital campaign, which increased annual giving by 41 percent, raised $65 million toward the $80 million goal by the midpoint and led the construction of numerous new athletics structures and refurbished outdated facilities. From 1999 to 2004, Greenspan served as director of intercollegiate athletics at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he managed a 25-sport NCAA Division IA intercollegiate athletics program with a $23 million budget and 800 student-athletes.
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His overhaul of the annual giving program resulted in a 300 percent increase in gifts and a doubling of the average gift. Under his leadership, 34 percent of all student-athletes made the dean’s list. He also developed and funded an athletics facility master plan. The Greenbelt, Md., native has also served as director of intercollegiate athletics at Illinois State University (1993-99), senior associate athletics director at University of Miami (1992-93), associate athletics director at University of California-Berkeley (19831991), recreational athletics coordinator at University of New Hampshire (1982-83) and associate coordinator for the Klotsche Center for Physical Education and Recreation at University of WisconsinMilwaukee (1979-82). Greenspan has a master’s degree in physical education and athletic administration from Idaho State University, where he graduated summa cum laude. He has a bachelor’s degree in behavioral science from the University of Maryland-College Park, where he was a four-year letter winner in baseball. Greenspan and his wife, Jenny, have been married 34 years. They have two grown children: Emily, a graduate of the University of Connecticut, and Ben, a graduate of Indiana University and currently an assistant baseball coach for the Hoosiers.
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2012-13 RICE OWLS BASKETBALL
TAMIR JACKSON (CONTINUED)
EMBRACES LEADER ROLE (Story continued from page 5) Sophomore Dan Peera agrees with Jackson’s assessment, as he has witnessed the transformation first hand. “It’s been incredible to see the change,” the sophomore Peera stated. “His attitude and mindset and whatever decisions he made to take a larger role with leading the team have really reflected in his performance and leadership so far. It’s been obvious since we started summer workouts. Day one, it was clear that he was for real. That really unified us as a team and gave us inspiration.” “In practice and scrimmages, it’s clear,” Peera continued. “He knows the game better than anybody and he’s very verbal and passionate and competitive. It’s infectious, so everybody climbs on board.” Even before this summer, Jackson laid the foundation for being the mentor of a basketball team. Jackson has served as a mentor for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Greater Houston during his time at Rice. He has also contributed to team-related community service, reaching out as a guest reader and speaker at area elementary schools. The work in the community has led to Jackson receiving Conference USA’s Spirit of Service Award in April. The C-USA Spirit of Service Award is designed to recognize the community service efforts of the league’s student-athletes based upon significant
community service, good academic standing and participation in their elected sport. Jackson said he believes that he equally gets as much out of working with Big Brothers as the kids he mentors. "I enjoy doing it," Jackson said. "I really like to help make a better life for another kid or be a better role model for someone. I think they get a lot out of it because I am a college athlete and a student at one of the best schools in the country. They see if another black man can do it, they can do it as well." Growing up in New Jersey, Jackson said he looked up to the AAU and city-league coaches who helped to teach young people and provide an opportunity for an activity off the street. While Jackson knew that he would eventually take the reins among the Rice players, it never hurt that he received encouragement from Braun and his staff. “They asked me to lead and be vocal, but it has mostly happened naturally,” Jackson said. “I’m not trying to force the issue and be a leader. That’s just not my character.” The non-conference schedule is a time for Jackson and the Rice squad to prepare for a challenging CUSA slate. So as for Jackson’s expectations, he says the young Owls shouldn’t be taken lightly. “I expect us to do well as a team and for me to do well, personally. I know we are going to shock a lot of people. I have a feeling, and I’m proud to play with these guys and call them my teammates.”
Tamir Jackson has taken on the role of team leader for the Owls, a role he has embraced with open arms.
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2012 RICE OWLS BASKETBALL
RICE BASKETBALL
THROUGH THE YEARS
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1. In the 1934-35 season, Rice set a new record with 20 wins and dropped just three games to claim the program's first conference title since 1919. Head coach Jimmy Kitts led the Owls to winning streaks of 10 and nine games. 2. Led by head coach Don Suman, the 1953-54 squad posted a 16-6 record and won the Southwest Conference championship. Rice went on to face Oklahoma State and Colorado in the 1954 NCAA West Regional. 3. Autry Court’s notorious curtain (pictured 1954-55) dates back to the building’s early years. 4. Rice fans packed Autry Court when the Owls hosted No. 1 Connecticut on JAN. 4, 2004. 5. After an extensive overhaul to the venerable arena, Tudor Fieldhouse officially opened its doors for the 2008-09. Among the numerous transformations, the signature curtain was removed to place the student section closer to the action than ever.
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