Rice didn’t have to look far for its new head coach.
The university announced on Thursday afternoon that associate coach Scott Pera will take over the program. He replaces Mike Rhoades who returned to VCU to fill its vacancy on Tuesday.
Pera had been with the program for three seasons following stints at Penn and Arizona State. Based on the reaction from the players, they approve of the hire.
We are thrilled to announce @RiceCoachPera as the new head coach of @RiceBasketball! pic.twitter.com/cIWTrQXY7j
— Rice Athletics 👐 (@RiceAthletics) March 23, 2017
Pera was also the high school coach of James Harden.
The Owls, coming off a 23-12 season, are expected to bring back three double-digit scorers for next season: Marcus Evans, Egor Koulechov and Marcus Jackson.