Anyone familiar with Rice basketball may not believe it, but it is actually happening: Autry Court, long over-due for a makeover, is actually being renovated. Thanks in large part to a $7 million gift given by former Owl basketball letterman Bobby Tudor and his wife Phoebe, construction started in August 2007 and should be completed in time for the start of the 2008-09 hoops campaign. Head men's basketball coach Willis Wilson and his players are ecstatic.

"The renovation is two-fold," says Wilson. "Number one, it's not just a renovation. It's a partial teardown with fabulous additions to the building, and the amenities for the student-athletes are what I am excited about. It will have a state-of-the-art locker room that we can call home. The academic center will be adjacent to the locker room, the weight room, and the athletic training room will be across the hall. By having those resources in close proximity, the guys will have better transitions throughout the day and that will remove a lot of stress."

"The second component of it, I think is very subtle, but significant. It is a $25 million investment in basketball at Rice University and it is something that this city has not seen before. It is a strong statement about the commitment that the University is putting behind the program - it's important that basketball be good, that we are successful, that we can do things in a first class manner. Chris Del Conte, our athletic director, is going to ensure that we have all of the amenities that we need to be successful. If we don't succeed, it will not be because we haven't been provided the resources."

Renovations to the facility will greatly enhance the experience for fans attending events. Blue print plans include a new center-court overhead video/scoreboard, club room, concessions, new seating arrangement as the blue curtain gives way to permanent seats behind the basket, and new rest room facilities.

With $25 million renovation of the gym and office areas on-going, the Owls will have two courts in which to make their "home." Rice will play five games in the Merrell Center, in Katy, Texas, and about 30 miles away from the tranquil campus, and seven games at nearby Reliant Arena. The Texas game meanwhile will be downtown at Toyota Center.

Now in his 16th season, Willis Wilson is up to the task in getting this team ready for the adversity forthcoming in playing home games off campus.

"I think that this year will be a great opportunity for our team to grow as a result of the challenges that we are going to face by not having a home court on campus," states Wilson.

"The experience in playing our home games away from campus will pay off us in the late season. By doing that, I think we are going to be accustomed to playing in different environments, especially when we go on the road and play in hostile situations."

Just like Autry Court, this year's Rice basketball team will also have a new look. The Owls will be flying without NBA first-round draft pick Morris Almond who poured in over 1,400 points the last two seasons and was the Player of the Year in Conference USA for 2007. In addition to Almond, the Owls will be without the services of three-year starting point guard Lorenzo Williams, who holds Rice's single-season assist record, and center Greg Killings (6' 11" and 6.2 rebounds) who have graduated.

Needless to say, the Owls will have to step up and overachieve. Offensively, the Owls do not return a single player who scored in double-digits in 2007, but there are some untapped weapons on the squad, sort of like having Morris Almond before he became Morris Almond. Therefore, look for Rice to spread the wealth on the offensive attack.

"Obviously, you can't replace a player of Morris' caliber that easily," comments Wilson. "We will go back to four or five years ago when we really spread the ball around in running a much faster-paced offense that gets more people involved."

Guard play is a huge factor in college basketball. It certainly will be paramount for Rice after losing the aforementioned Almond and Williams.

"If we are going to have success it has to start with our guards in their ability to handle the ball and get us up and down the floor and that starts with Chris Hagan, Rodney Foster, and Cory Pflieger," says Wilson. "Those guys have to do a good job of setting the tempo for our offensive attack."

The Owls have some shooters, especially from outside. Two guys you have to guard once they step on the court are juniors Cory Pflieger and Rodney Foster. Pflieger last season ranked third in C-USA in three-point field goal accuracy at 42 percent and during conference action shot an eye-popping 46 percent to rank second in the league. He is the Owls' top returning shooter with 49 treys, while Foster follows with 25.

Sophmore guard Chris Hagan played a lot of games last season and knows what it takes to lead this team.

Comments Wilson, "Chris Hagan brings toughness and moxie to this team. He is a born leader and is a guy who wants to be out front and wants the responsibility and is a much-improved shooter."

"The thing that Rodney does best is shoot the basketball. He is a guy that we are going to get a lot of shots for early and often as this season unfolds. Foster is a tough and hard-nosed kid who can defend bigger guys and allows us to play three guards."

Having the option of utilizing shooters, Foster and Pflieger, in addition to Chris Hagan at the point all at the same time is beneficial to Wilson.

"When you have a shooter like Rodney on one wing and Cory Pflieger on the other we can be explosive from the outside," says Wilson. "Cory is not bashful about shooting. He may miss two or three, but he has the confidence to come back and nail four or five in a row. We have to do a good job of setting those two up and creating opportunities for them to do some damage and take pressure off of the guys inside."

Added to the guard mix is freshman Jasen Williams, who is a Houston native. "Jasen is a terrific basketball player and he has great awareness on the court," says Wilson. "He is very long and active, who can slash and shoot the ball from deep on the court extremely well. We are going to need production from out of him."

Freshman Suleiman Braimoh comes to Rice after spending last season at a New Jersey prep school, The Lawrenceville School, the same institution that Florida's Joakim Noah attended. Even though he stands 6' 7" Braimoh sports a 7' 3" wingspan.

"Suleiman Braimoh is the king of length with his wingspan," says Wilson. "We are expecting a lot of minutes from him this season because he doesn't mind sticking his nose in there defending and he is an aggressive and assertive rebounder."

Two things the Owls have going for them on the defensive side of the court is length and depth. Returnees Aleks Perka, Patrick Britton, Paulius Packevicius, Lawrence Ghoram all have length and the freshmen class of Jasen Williams, Suleiman Braimoh, and Scott Saunders also bring the element of length.

Veteran post player, senior forward Paulius Packevicius, has been a consistent player throughout his Rice career.

"Guys on the team really enjoy playing with Paulius," comments Wilson. "He is a terrific passer inside and out and is capable of getting double-digit points and seven rebounds a night."

Junior center Matt Hagen has been plagued by knee injuries in each of his last three seasons and needs to be healthy for the Owls to be successful in rebounding and defending in the paint. Sophomore Lawrence "Cliff" Ghoram gives Wilson flexibility with his strength and athleticism.

"Lawrence is a guy who can play inside and out and allows us to go with a four-guard attack at times with his experience down low," says Wilson. "He has a steady shot from the perimeter and he can drive to the basket."

Scott Saunders is one of the better skilled freshman post players to come to Rice recently. Saunders grew up in New Orleans in a basketball family (his father played at Duke), but spent his junior and senior years of high school in Nashville, Tenn., following Hurricane Katrina.

"Scott Saunders has a keen understanding of the game of basketball and he really cherishes playing the low post, but at the same time he can hit the mid-range jump shot," says Wilson.

"Also, what I really like about him is that he has a big body and is a rugged post player who can finish at the free throw line."

One of the most athletic basketball players in C-USA is junior Aleks Perka. Perka was thrust into more playing time last season as injuries befell post players Killings and Hagen. He actually ended up starting the last six games of the season.

"He is arguably the most improved player on the club," states Wilson. "When his confidence is high he can play at a big-time level. He can play inside, he can play outside, is a capable defender and he is a playmaker."

This season's style of play of running the floor harder and running big guys to the basket will be beneficial to senior forward Patrick Britton.

"With his ability to hit free throws and the fact that he can run and slash and get fouled often will be just a bonus for our basketball team," says Wilson. "Defensively, I think we will be sound," states Wilson. "I think in playing more guys and with a deep bench we can be better defensively, because the guys can give more intensity while they are on the floor. They will be rested and be able to give us the level of energy that's going to be required to be a good defensive basketball team."

Man-to-man or zone?

"With Patrick Britton being our defensive anchor the last three years I do think we will be able to put some guys around him that will match his level of intensity and energy," says Wilson. "In doing so, we can become a very good man defensive team. The advantage that we have defensively is our wingspan length which enables us to be a solid zone team, but man-to man once again will be our main defensive set."

Two guys that will not play this season but deserve to be mentioned are Bryan Beasley and Trey Stanton. Both are transfers, Beasley from Texas A&M and Stanton from the U.S. Naval Academy.

"Bryan Beasley brings confidence, poise, intensity, and focus," says Wilson. "He is the kind of player that we going to have to have in this program if we're going to go to another level. The most important thing about Bryan is his ability to make other guys better with his defensive intensity and the way he can find guys on offense by distributing the ball, he can shoot it from the outside, and he can attack the rim."

Stanton started all but one game last season for Navy, in averaging close to nine points a game and he knows what it takes to play D-I basketball. He is a versatile player with his outside shooting touch and work ethic in the post.

"I get excited what the Rice Owls are going to look like a year from now with the addition of Trey Stanton," comments Wilson. "With him sitting out this season, due to the transfer rule, it will help him in learning about our program and getting to know his teammates better. It will be an advantage for Trey and for the team."

With a tough schedule that features games at Vanderbilt, Oklahoma, TCU, at UTEP, playing in Iowa's tournament and home games vs. Memphis and UAB it is a difficult task that lies ahead of Wilson and his Owls.

"I really like our team and the direction that we're heading in," comments Wilson. The thing that this team has that I like is that, even though they are soft spoken, they are focused, very determined, and have a great work ethic. It is a group of guys that have a chip on their shoulder with something to prove. If we can overachieve and get more out of the time that we spend than our opponents, then I think we are going to win more than we lose."