Owls savoring their moment
Langley emphasizes making the season ‘last as long as it can’
In her third year, Rice women’s basketball coach Tina Langley has instilled a culture that elevated the team’s play and expectations. She transformed a 9-22 team into 22-13 team a season ago.
Expectations for this season rose but plateaued after a hot but injury-plagued 13-2 start to the season. But the Owls continued to fight, with guards learning how to play in the post and others picking up the lost production.
Rice (20-8, 10-6 in C-USA) defeated North Texas on Saturday to secure the fifth seed in the Conference USA tournament. The Owls will play 12th-seeded Old Dominion in Frisco on Wednesday.
“We talk a lot about process and how important each game is, and at the end of the season, you want to reflect and know that you did the best you could,” Langley said of the team.
“We want this season to last as long as it can. This is a tremendous group of people that really enjoy being together, so we just want to go down there and do our best.”
Standing out from the crowd
Two Owls were recently named amongst the best in the conference.
Guard Erica Ogwumike earned first team All C-USA and All-Defensive team honors, and guard Nicole Iademarco was selected to the All C-USA second team — the first Rice duo to earn all-conference honors since 2011.
Ogwumike, a transfer from Pepperdine out of Cypress, ranked fifth in the conference in scoring (17.2 points per game), second in rebounding (9.4) and eighth in steals (1.9). She led the Owls with 11 double-doubles.
But despite that success, the team has struggled on the road (8-7), something that doesn’t concern Langley as the Owls get set to play on a neutral floor.
“I actually think we’re pretty excited about it,” she said. “We talked about it and said this is something we really need to be cognizant of and that we prepare the same when we’re traveling as we do when we’re at home.”
The Owls will play Old Dominion, a team they beat 53-45 at Tudor Fieldhouse on Jan. 28. If they win, Rice will face fourthseeded Middle Tennessee, which they lost to 51-41 on Feb. 17.
A focus on the future
Rice enters the tournament with the top 3-point and rebounding defense in the conference. Playing short-handed all year has inspired a confidence that’s bolstered by Langley’s growth-focused culture.
“We don’t spend a lot of time in the past. Our mindset is about the process, so what’s next,” Langley said. “Everything matters to us right now. We’re very low in numbers, so nutrition, sleep, how we prepare, all of it matters.”
Her mindset trickles down to her players, assistant coaches and administrators.
“I feel like we’re a very selfless team,” Olivia Ogwumike said. “We play for each other, we play for our coaches, we play for our core values. It’s going to be very hard to beat us when we play selflessly like we do.”
In a year when the men’s team missed the cut for the conference tournament, excitement for the women’s program is felt throughout the department.
“Tina builds a culture through core values and a great foundation, and the kids have all bought into each other,” director of athletics Joe Karlgaard said. “I think it’s all going to come together. For women’s basketball, the future is extremely bright.”