Conference USA Notebook: Kazemi powers Rice
Joshua Parrott, Columnist
HOUSTON – Ben Braun knows what it takes to build winning basketball programs at the collegiate level.
He did it over 11 seasons at Eastern Michigan, leading the Eagles to their first three NCAA tournament appearances and the Sweet 16 in 1991. Then he went to Cal after Todd Bozeman resigned in 1996 for NCAA violations, and Braun advanced to the postseason in eight of his 12 seasons with a Sweet 16 berth in 1997 and NIT championship in 1999.
Now in his fourth year at Rice, Braun believes the foundation has been set to make the Houston-based school as successful on the court in Conference USA as his players are in the classroom. The Owls (7-2) are off to their best start since the 2003-04 season after beating Division III Louisiana College, 109-51, Wednesday in what was the third-largest blowout in program history.
Braun appreciates the support his program has received from Rice athletic director Rick Greenspan and university president David Leebron. It’s a stark contrast from his previous stop where Cal administrators publicly criticized Braun for making only one NCAA tournament trip in his final five years before he was let go in 2008.
“I’m fortunate that I’m at a school and university whose president, athletic director and board of trustees really appreciate what we do here athletically and academically,” Braun said. “I think they appreciate the victories we get and the progress we’re making. We’re trying to build a program.”
Braun appears to have Rice moving in the right direction.
After inheriting a team that went 3-27 overall and winless in
Conference USA play during the 2007-08 season – results that
prompted the firing of Willis Wilson – Braun
led the Owls to 10 wins in his first year. Rice won eight games in
2009-10 with only one senior and a combined 10 freshmen and
sophomores. The Owls hit the 14-win mark last season behind
second-team all-conference forward Arsalan Kazemi,
who was the league’s lone player to average a double-double
at 15.2 points and 11.0 rebounds.
This year the Owls are already halfway to last season’s win total with the start of C-USA play nearly a month away.
Kazemi is leading the way again this season, averaging 13.5 points and 12.4 rebounds after being named to the Lute Olson Preseason All-America team. The 6-foot-7 junior, believed to be the first Division I player from Iran, had a season-high 20 points and 16 rebounds in the recent win over Louisiana College. He is currently tied for the national rebounding lead with UNLV’s Mike Moser and is shooting a conference-best 59 percent from the floor.
In addition to leading Rice in scoring and rebounding, Kazemi is
the team leader in steals (2.3 per game) and blocks (1.4 per game)
and is tied with junior Tamir Jackson with the
most assists (3.1 per game). Kazemi missed one game – a Nov.
30 win over Houston Baptist – with a mild strain to his lower
back, but he’s averaged 19 points, 15 rebounds, 5.5 assists
and 3.5 steals in his first two games back from injury.
Jackson is the only other player scoring in double figures at 13.2 points, but senior guard Connor Frizzelle is averaging 8.9 points. The Owls have seven others chipping in at least three points. Their six newcomers have combined for 28.5 points, led by 8.6 points from freshman guard Dylan Ennis.
Rice’s roster also has an international flavor with players from four continents, including Kazemi (Iran), Ennis (Ontario), freshman forward Ahmad Ibrahim (Lebanon), sophomore center Omar Oraby (Egypt) and freshman forward Jarelle Reischel (Germany).
“I’m really happy I’ve got the guys that can score on our team,” Kazemi said after a season-opening win over New Orleans. “What it’s going to do is help me, so it’s a good sign.”
In an attempt to give his players more time to focus on academics, Braun holds practice at 6 a.m. the day before games. He’s also minimized travel time by scheduling only Texas schools for non-conference play.
Over the summer Braun’s team received the C-USA Sport Academic Award, which annually recognizes the program with the highest grade-point average for each conference-sponsored sport. The Owls had a 3.0 GPA last season.
“We’re here to serve the student-athletes and make their lives better,” said Braun, who is 13th among all active Division I head coaches with 591 career victories over 35 seasons. “Yes, we’re all here to win, but winning is also watching your players mature and helping them grow into men.”
The academic success and personal growth of his players means a lot to Braun. When March rolls around, he wants to see the Owls celebrating their first postseason appearance since advancing to the 2005 NIT.
“We’re enjoying the challenge,” Braun said. “It’s not easy, but it’s rewarding.”
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Required Reading
***Memphis adds a new player in Seton Hall transfer Ferrakohn Hall and has an update on senior G Charles Carmouche.
***Tulane improves to 11-1 to win the Skip Prosser Tournament by beating Jacksonville State.
***Rice posts one of the program’s biggest wins against Louisiana College behind a balanced scoring attack.
***The Jordan brothers team up to lead UCF past North Carolina A&T.
***Marshall looks for rebounder Nigel Spikes
to contribute more as he gets healthier.
***SMU gets a big-name transfer on the court for the first time in ex-Texas forward Shawn Williams.
What I Knew …
Tulane was bound to suffer at least one letdown against one of the nation’s weakest non-conference schedules before C-USA play started. The first loss of the season for the Green Wave came at Wofford in a 61-50 loss on Dec. 6. That was a bit of a head-scratcher as Wofford is only 5-4 this season. Still, Tulane is much improved from last season when it won 13 games.
What I Should Have Known ...
Houston was going to lose close games early as freshman G Joseph Young adjusted after sitting out last season after Providence refused to release him from his national letter of intent. The former Parade All-American has 14 assists and 13 turnovers in Houston’s four losses and 14 assists and seven turnovers in its four wins. Young is averaging 9.9 points but is shooting 32.4 percent from the floor and needs to improve his stroke.
Stat of the Week
33: Number of career double-doubles for Rice junior F Arsalan Kazemi. That’s good for third in school history behind Michael Harris’ 55 (2001-05) and Brent Scott’s 48 (1990-93). Kazemi has six double-doubles in nine games this season.
Who’s Hot, Who’s Not
Who’s Hot: Tulane suffered its first loss of the season in a 61-50 defeat to Wofford on Dec. 6 but has bounced back with wins over MacMurray College and Jacksonville State. The Green Wave (11-1) is off to its best start since the 1991-92 team opened 16-1. Freshman G Ricky Tarrant has scored in double figures in each of the past five games, averaging 15.8 points during that stretch … UCF extended its home-court winning streak against non-conference opponents to 16 straight games with a 77-65 win over North Carolina A&T on Dec. 13. The only two losses for the Knights (7-2) this season came to then-No. 24 Florida State on Nov. 14 and Harvard, which was in the top 25 before recently dropping out of the rankings, on Nov. 26 … Memphis sophomore G Will Barton was C-USA Player of the Week after averaging 27 points and 9.5 rebounds in two games last week, including 27 and 14 in a win at Miami (Fla.). Barton is C-USA’s leading scorer this season at 20.4 points … Southern Miss (7-2) has won three straight since a 90-81 loss in double overtime to Murray State in the championship game of the Great Alaska Shootout … UTEP F Julian Washburn earned C-USA Freshman of the Week honors as he has averaged 14 points and shot 50 percent (13-of-26) from the floor in the past two games. He had a career-high 16 points in a win over New Mexico State on Dec. 11. The Texas native scored 9.2 points on 38.5 percent shooting through the first five games of the season … Houston junior G/F Jonathon Simmons scored a career-high 22 points in a win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Dec. 3 before pouring in 26 in a losing effort against Texas State three days later. Simmons has been efficient in those two games, shooting 72.2 percent overall (13-of-18), 66.7 percent from 3 (6-of-9) and 80 percent at the free throw line (16-of-20) … Not exactly hot, but UAB ended a four-game losing streak with a 66-56 win over Middle Tennessee on Dec. 7. It was only the second win of the season for the Blazers (2-6) and came against a Blue Raiders squad that is currently 10-2 and blasted UCLA by 22 points on Nov. 15.
Who’s Not: After being ranked in the top 25 early, Memphis (5-3) continues to encounter some growing pains this season. The Tigers lost at home to Murray State, 76-72, on Dec. 11 after the Racers made 9 3s. Freshman G/F Adonis Thomas has struggled since scoring 17 points against Austin Peay on Dec. 3, combining for six points (zero vs. Murray State) on 18.8 percent shooting (3-of-16) in the past two games … Tulane sophomore F Josh Davis has scored nine total points in the past two games. Davis, a transfer from North Carolina State, had double-digit points in each of the first 10 games this season … Southern Miss senior G Angelo Johnson established a new career-high with 29 points in a Nov. 27 loss to Murray State but has combined for only 36 points in the past three games … Since starting 3-0, Houston (4-4) has lost four of its past five games. Those four losses have been by a combined seven points … UCF junior G Marcus Jordan, son of former NBA great Michael Jordan, tied a career-high with 28 points in a 77-65 win over North Carolina A&T on Dec. 13, but that was after he missed a Dec. 10 win over Bethune-Cookman for violating a team rule, according to coach Donnie Jones. It was the second game this season that Jordan missed due to suspension. Jordan leads the team this season in points (17.1) and assists (3.6), but needs to show more leadership and discipline moving forward … Tulsa (4-6) has dropped six of seven since opening 3-0. There is some hope, though, as five of those losses have been by no more than five points … East Carolina (4-4) has lost three straight games, including two at home. The silver lining: Those losses came to teams with a combined 19-9 record (5-4 Old Dominion, 6-2 Charlotte, 8-3 UMass).
Did You Know?
Former Marshall guard Keith Veney made an NCAA-record 15 3-pointers (on 25 attempts) while scoring 51 points in a 115-93 win over Morehead State on Dec. 14, 1996. That record still stands today.
Games to Watch
Ole Miss (9-1) at Southern Miss (7-2), Saturday: The Golden Eagles have losses this season to Denver and Murray State but can make a statement by beating the Rebels from the SEC.
Memphis (5-3) at No. 4 Louisville (9-0), Saturday: The Tigers are still trying to put everything together, and this will be a major test against the undefeated Cardinals.
Lamar (7-3) at Rice (7-2), Saturday: First-year coach Pat Knight has the Cardinals playing well, but the Owls are looking equally as strong so far this season under coach Ben Braun.
Houston (4-4) vs. Oklahoma (7-1) in Oklahoma City, Saturday: This neutral site game against the Sooners might be the perfect chance for Houston to snap out of its recent funk.
Tulane (11-1) at No. 1 Syracuse (10-0), Dec. 22: The Green Wave has played a relatively soft non-conference slate so far, but Syracuse will definitely provide a tough opponent on the road.
Parrott’s Take
Tulane currently sits atop the C-USA standings, but that doesn’t mean anything once conference play starts. Houston (4-4) is one team to watch as the season progresses. Sophomore F Alandise Harris (16 ppg, 6.5 rpg) is a legit all-conference player having a career year. Junior F Kirk Van Slyke (11.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg) is steady inside. Junior G/F Jonathon Simmons (13.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg), freshman G Joseph Young (9.9 ppg, 3.5 apg) and freshman F TaShawn Thomas (10.4 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 2.4 bpg) are improving every game. Eventually, second-year coach James Dickey should see better results from his squad in the future, and it could happen in conference play.
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All Rice/Braun photos courtesy of Anthony Vasser
