Owls’ continued growth reflects coach’s influence
The shrill of the buzzer sounds to signify the end of practice at Fox Gym. The players start a rhythmic clap as they draw closer until the team forms a circle around the old English “R” logo at half court.
From the sideline, Rice women’s basketball coach Tina Langley solicits her team’s thoughts and reflections on the practice that just concluded.
Junior guard Lauren Grigsby begins the ritual, apologizing for “a lack of toughness” as two teammates promptly meet her confession with shoulder and back rubs to offer support. Redshirt sophomore Erica Ogwumike volunteers next. She says her body language could have been less emphatic after bad plays.
For some teams, hard work and consistent practice leads to winning. But Langley isn’t just interested in winning at Rice. She wants to develop a culture and history that transcends whatever the Owls may accomplish this season.
After every practice, Langley gathers the team to reflect on what they could have done better. On Rice’s men’s team, a player must make consecutive free throws for his teammates to escape the practice gym. But for Langley and the women’s team, typically three players must speak up before the team is free to go.
Building culture
The ritual doesn’t seem forced or strained. For players, it’s all a part of Langley’s philosophy on having a growth-focused mind-set.
“Our goal is never going to be a specific thing at the end of the season, it’s about becoming the team we need to become and the best team we can become,” Langley said. “Did we continue to build the culture the way that we want it to be so that the next group that comes in says, ‘This is how we prepare for a game. This is how we practice. This is how we work.’
“There’s really not a limitation to what we can do. I think a lot of times in life we put limitations on ourselves and we’re the first to stop ourselves from doing something. This is not that team, they go out every day believing in the process and growth mind-set.”
In just her third season on South Main, Langley’s process has yielded results.
As an associate head coach at Maryland, the Alabama native made back-toback Final Four appearances before coming to Rice in 2015. The Owls built on the nine victories in her first year to win 22 games in her second season, including Rice’s first postseason title — the Women’s Basketball Invitational championship.
Rice (14-3 overall, 4-1 Conference USA) has lost to Kansas, No. 15 Texas A&M and Florida International. The Owls, who were picked to finish fifth in the preseason conference polls, are tied for second now.
The Owls are led by Ogwumike, who averages 17.3 points and 9.2 rebounds. Second-leading scorer Nicole Iademarco is tied for fifth in C-USA with 14.4 points per game.
“I’m also adopting this culture and it’s become easier as I’ve bought into the system,” said Ogwumike, who transferred from Pepperdine. “I think you’ve seen that growth as the season goes on. When we stick to our core values, we become really successful.”
The Owls’ success has come while Nancy Mulkey, a 6-9 transfer from Oklahoma, sits out due to NCAA rules. Joining her on the bench are three Owls who will miss the remainder of the year with season-ending injuries. Additionally, Ogwumike’s sister, Olivia, is out indefinitely with an undisclosed injury.
“I think through injuries, we’ve had to have people play a lot of different positions and step up in ways they maybe didn’t expect when the season started,” Iademarco said. “I think everyone just embracing what’s asked of them has been an amazing area of growth for us.”
Iademarco arrived at Rice at the same time as Langley, after transferring from Arizona State. The redshirt junior aimed to improve as a scorer but was surprised by how seriously Rice’s staff took her overall improvement.
“Coach Langley wanted to install a culture of working hard and growing. (That) mind-set is probably the greatest way we’ve evolved in the past couple of years,” she said.
“All of them realize how much goes into being a great team from how you eat to how you sleep,” Langley said. “We’re really learning to value all the what people consider little things, which are big things for us. That’s something they’ve really taken to heart.”
Reachable goals
Langley is adamant that the Owls’ goal isn’t a particular championship or title. Still, she sees no reason a Sweet 16 or even Final Four appearance is unattainable for this team or a future iteration.
“If you come in and take things seriously every day, you’re going to get better in so many areas, not just ‘my shot felt better today.’ If we keep holding to that philosophy, great things are possible.” she said. “There’s a lot of programs in women’s and men’s basketball that have been smaller universities that have gone all the way to the Final Four. I’ve always said, ‘Why not?’ ”