HOUSTON – Scott Pera will not return as Rice men’s basketball head coach.
The announcement comes one day after the Owls lost to Wichita State, 88-81, in the first round of the American Athletic Conference Tournament. The team finished the season with a 11-21 overall record and a 5-13 record in conference play, good for last place in the AAC.
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Rice Vice President and Director of Athletics Tommy McClelland announced the decision Thursday.
“I appreciate the efforts of Scott and his staff and their dedication to their student-athletes, but over the course of this season, it became apparent to me that a change in the leadership of our men’s basketball team was needed for it to become a championship-caliber program,” McClelland said in the statement. “President DesRoches and the Board of Trustees have shown a great desire for this program to take its place among the best in the AAC and agreed with my assessment that a coaching change was the appropriate step towards reaching that goal.”
Pera took the job in 2017. In seven seasons, he compiled a 96-127 overall record and a 45-81 record in conference play. The Owls reached the College Basketball Invitational tournament twice during his tenure. 2022-23 was his best season, leading Rice to a 19-16 record and the CBI Quarterfinals, where they lost to Southern Utah, 81-79.
Pera started his collegiate coaching career as an assistant coach at Arizona State. From there, he held assistant positions at Penn and Rice before landing the Rice head coaching job in 2017.
Rice assistant Van Green will serve as interim head coach while the team searches for its next head coach.