Rice Basketball To Get Braun-y

In the wake of a disappointing 0-fer season in Conference USA and the firing of head coach Willis Wilson, Rice's basketball program is in dire need of a turnaround. They may have found the captain to right their ship in recently available Cal-Berkley coach Ben Braun.

After successes at Cal and Eastern Michigan, Braun's Golden Bears floundered this year, leading to his termination by the People's Republic of Berkley. The Owls swooped in and signed the 54-year old to an undisclosed contract, and tasked him with bringing Rice's program back to respectability.

Rice is an interesting choice for any coach; you'll never have trouble with your players missing games because of bad grades, but you'll also never be able to get the caliber of player who has, um, placed athletic acheivement at a premium over academic excellence. So long as Braun can recruit some true student athletes (like incoming freshman Jesse Sanders of HCYA), the program can grow to where the Owls want it to be.

The Chron's excellent Owls blog, by Moisekapenda Bower, has more in-depth analysis about the Braun hiring, and should be required reading for all things related to the campus on Main Street.

---
photo: flickr user j-a-x