HOUSTON – Rice University and men’s basketball head coach Scott Pera have agreed to a contract extension through the end of the 2023-24 season.
The Owls are coming off a season in which they finished with a record of 15-13, continuing Pera’s streak of increasing the team’s winning percentage every year of his four seasons as the Owls’ head coach. The winning season was the program’s third since 2005-06, and the Owls furthered their season’s success with a run in the postseason to the Conference USA quarterfinals. Pera also led the team to a 9-3 record at home, their best such record since 2004-2005.
Humbled and appreciative. I have a great love of Rice and am honored that they want us to continue to lead this program. This is for all the staff and student athletes that have given so much to help us build this program. #notsatisfied #GreenLightU https://t.co/8dVWW3QrCW
— Scott Pera (@RiceCoachPera) July 8, 2021
“I want to thank (Athletic Director) Dr. (Joe) Karlgaard and President (David) Leebron for their continued support and belief in my vision for our program,” Pera said in a Rice media release. “We have not only shown growth on the court each of my four seasons, but our team continues to set records in the classroom as well. I made a promise in the spring of 2017 to build a sustainable program that the university, our fan base and our alumni would be proud of. We have taken major steps towards accomplishing that goal and with this extension in place I feel the future is very bright.”
“The future of Rice men’s basketball is bright,” Karlgaard said in the media release. “Scott Pera has steadily built a terrific foundation and has effectively steered our approach to the modern recruiting environment. I’m excited by our prospects for success in the upcoming season and beyond with Coach Pera leading our program.”
For this next college basketball season, Rice will return all five starters from last year’s team as well as 11 letter winners.