Rice promotes Scott Pera to head men's basketball coach

HOUSTON – A whirlwind week for the Rice Owls basketball program continued Thursday with the hiring of associate head coach Scott Pera as the new head basketball coach.

The Owls' basketball season ended Monday with a loss in the CBI postseason tournament. That was Mike Rhoades' final game as Rice head coach; he was introduced Wednesday as the new VCU head coach.

Pera has been on the Rice staff under Rhoades for the last three seasons and has a long history of coaching.

He was an assistant on the University of Pennsylvania staff for three seasons and before that was at Arizona State from 2006-2012, where he coached current Rockets star James Harden.

His relationship with Harden dates before that as well. He was the coach at Harden’s high school, Artesia, in California.