December 22, 2011

Holiday greetings from all of us here in the Rice Men’s Basketball Program. Always such a busy time of year with our players wrapping up finals and the season in full swing, the holiday season is the perfect time to officially announced our 2012 Camp Dates. The dates are posted and we are taking registrations now. With 15 sessions to choose from, you are sure to find a session that is right for you. But many times, spaces fill up quick, so make sure you sign up now to guarantee your spot. The success of our camps has allowed us to develop our ever expanding selection of camps coming up this June and July 2012. SIGN UP NOW!

An update on the season the team is performing well after getting off to a great start in non-conference play, and with Conference USA play coming up shortly in January, we hope you have been following the Owls. With 8 home contests in January/February, come on out and support the Owls for a live game as we March toward the Madness and make a push for a post-season bid!

Go Owls!

Coach Braun


October 1, 2011

As summer ends and the fall quickly approaching, things have been very busy here in the Basketball Offices. Our players have returned from a short break in August after summer school and started classes and fall workouts. Our staff has been busy finalizing our schedule and preparing for practice to start on October 14th. We are excited to begin the season with a solid group of returning players and some quality incoming group of freshman.

The schedule has been announced and final game times will soon be announced. Be on the lookout for season ticket information which will include 17 home games here at Tudor Fieldhouse.

We have also been working to finalize our 2012 Summer Camp schedule and should be announced near the beginning of November. It's never too soon to start planning ahead.

We look forward to seeing you at an Owls game very soon.

Go Owls,

Coach Braun

March 14, 2011

The 2010-11 Rice Men’s Basketball season recently came to a close with the Owls finishing with a 14 win mark, a six game improvement over last season. It was an very exciting season, marked with key non-conference victories over regional rivals LSU and TCU and a tough 3 point loss to Texas. In league play, we defeated a very good Memphis team at home and swept cross town rival Houston for the first time in 18 seasons.

Our season was a reflection on the hard work and vast improvements each of the players in our program made during this past off season. They have been commended for their efforts, but in no way are we satisfied. After seeing the results of their efforts, they are committed to working even harder this summer to make next year even more successful.

Now it is your turn to follow the Owls example and improve your game. In a few short months, school will be letting out and summer vacation will be here. This is where you must make your decision on whether you want to improve your basketball game. With 13 sessions of camps being offered, we are making sure that you have the tools to get better as a player to help make your team that much stronger next season. A wise coach once told me, Teams are made in the Winter, but players are made in the Summer!

Make sure you sign up now for one or more of our vast selection of camps. If you’re not sure which session is right for you, make sure you call our offices and we’ll help you find the session that is perfect for you!

See you this summer in the gym!

Coach Braun

Jan. 5, 2011

After an exciting and successful pre-conference season in which the Owls finished with an 8-6 record, already matching their win total from a season ago, the Owls head into the conference play with confidence and anticipation. After starting with a home contest vs. Tulane, the Owls then played three of four games on the road in the treacherous CUSA schedule. Follow the results closely at www.riceowls.com and with a total of eight conference home games to choose from, we sure hope you can get out to support the Owls at a Tudor Fieldhouse.

Camp season is just around the corner and we've added another exciting Day Camp sessions. There will also be more information to follow as we look to offer Satellite Camp this June 20-24 as well. With a total of 13 sessions offered on Rice's Campus, we're sure you'll find a session that is perfect for you. So before you book that summer vacation and your session gets sold out, make sure you click on our "CAMPS" tab to get more information and to register.

Don't miss out on all the game and camp action, so come be a part of the most exciting basketball in Houston!

Nov. 11, 2010

Wow, what a busy and exciting fall it has been! Since the fall semester began in September, our players have been busy with individual workouts and started practicing in October in preparation for this week. Now, players and coaches all over the country are ready for the season to officially begin! The players are always excited to start competing against someone else. But the coaches are excited to see the strides of improvement that our guys have worked so hard on since last year finished up. With today, Friday, November 12th, being our home opener, all that hard work will now be put to the test.

Even more excitement will be coming soon as our camp dates are almost finalized. Registration will be up and running soon, so make sure you start planning your 2011 summer calendar now. With the success of our camps this past summer, where we had over 1200 campers on campus, we're excited to continue to grow and have our best summer of camps ever!

Now that the season is here and we can't wait to have your support at all the Rice Owl home games! For all you campers from this past summer, you should have recently received ticket info about Season Tickets, Camper Reunion Weekend, Youth Weekend. If you have any questions, please contact our offices. We hope to see you all Tudor Fieldhouse at a game real soon.

Go Owls,
Ben Braun

May 22, 2010

Spaces are still available for ALL of our summer camps, sign up now!

Heading into our second summer of camps, all of us at Rice Basketball are very excited for the 2010 Summer Basketball Camp Season to begin. Last summer was a great year for our camps as they to returned to the newly renovated Tudor Fieldhouse. My staff and I were thrilled to see so many of you at the camps last summer and then again at the Rice Basketball home games this season. We're excited to be seeing you again for another great summer of camps. (The players have been asking about working camps, so I know they are very excited to see you all again too!)

All that is left to do is to decide when and which camp you are going to attend. Here is a little bit about each to help you decide.

OVERNIGHT CAMPS: Every year, the best and by far most exciting week of camp is our Junior Superstar and Superstar Overnight Camps. With this camp you can come stay on campus for four days and three nights of around the clock basketball action. With skill work in the morning, to contests in the afternoons, followed by two games each night, it's non-stop fun all day long! That's all before nights filled with full of pizza, candy, snacks, drinks, basketball movies and a chance to just hang out with your fellow campers in the cool air-conditioned dorms right here on Rice's campus! It is sure to be the most exciting week of camp all summer long!

FATHER-SON CAMP: "Fathers?" you ask! Yes, this is real a chance for all fathers to step on to the court and show off their skills, have some friendly competition, and most importantly, spend some quality time with their son(s). Taking place on Father's day weekend, is sure to become an annual highlight of our summer camp season.

SPECIALTY CLINICS: For those of you who are serious about improving your skills, make sure you come to our Shooting and our Big Man/Guard clinics. As everyone knows, players are made in the summer and this is the perfect time to get some serious work done and improve your game.

BIDDIE BALL: Always one of the favorite camps for the parents are our annual Biddie Ball camps. These camps are specially designed to introduce youngsters ages four to seven years to the game of basketball. With two sessions, make sure to sign up now to get your space reserved for BOTH sessions before we fill up!

DAY CAMPS: Every year our most popular camps are our week long Day Camps. This is always a great way to get out of the house everyday and work on your game in a fun and competitive environment! With five sessions to choose from, why not come two, three or all FIVE times!

Question: You know the only thing that would make your camp an even better time? Answer: Bring a friend and share some great times and create some fun memories too! Make sure you email us for a special code to receive 10% off your registration fee if you sign up with a friend. Not only do you receive 10% off, but your friend can use the same code and use it to receive 10% off as well.

Looking forward to seeing you at the gym!

Coach Braun.

January 10, 2010

Well the season surely has been going by quickly, and it is hard to believe that March Madness is right around the corner. Before you know it, our summer camps will be in full swing. REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN, so make sure you click on the BASKETBALL CAMP page and SIGN UP NOW!

We finished up our non-conference portion of the season on January 3rd. We have since opened up Conference USA action. Traveling and playing away from home is definitely a tough challenge for our players, especially with the Spring Semester of challenging course workload beginning too. When we've been at home, the great crowds at Tudor Fieldhouse have definitely been an energizing factor that we surely enjoy playing for. The Autry Army was very loud and vocal when we played national power Memphis a few weeks ago.

I'm encouraged by our players hard work and effort both on and off the court. We have been making strides and getting better each and every day. Let me assure you the competition in practice has been very intense with our new group of freshman finally adapting to both their roles and the differences between the college game and their high school careers. I encourage you, to come on out to Tudor Fieldhouse and cheer on the Owls. I'm positive you'll be entertained and delighted at the effort and energy our guys bring to the court each and every day.

And remember, our players will be bringing that same passion to teach your sons and daughters this summer at camp, so don't forget, to SIGN UP NOW for the 2010 Ben Braun / Rice Owl Summer Basketball Camps! The summer will be here before you know it and many session are sure to sell out, so make sure you register now! Make sure you check out all of your favorite camp selections as well as some new offerings on the schedule.

October 31, 2009

Hello Rice Fans,

Wow how time flies once the school year starts. Our coaches and players have been very busy at work since summer ended and the Fall Semester has begun. We started practice a few weeks ago, and the guys have been working very hard in the weight room, in the gym, as well as in the class room. But after all that hard work, our players are very excited for games to begin in November. I'm eager to see the progress that they've made take form on the court. I hope you will be able to make it out to some games this season. We have 15 home contests on the schedule this year, including a Thanksgiving weekend match up with in state rivals, The University of Texas. All the excitement starts as we host the Rice Challenge the opening weekend of the season, November 13-15th. Make sure you go to www.riceowls.com for our complete game schedule and find out more information about season and single game tickets.

For those of you who were campers, you should have received information about the special season ticket pricing available to you, as well as details about our Camper Reunion Game against cross town rivals, Houston Baptist on November 15th as well as information about Youth Night coming in December when we take on McNeese State on December 29th. For more information about Season Tickets, Camper Reunion Game or Youth Night, contact the ticket office at 713-522-OWLS.

Oh, by the way, make sure you check out our video section here at coachbraun.com. My staff put together some highlights from each of our camps last summer. Taking a look reminds me of what a good time you all seemed to have. I'm sure it brings back memories for you all too. Also, coming on November 2nd, make sure you come back and look at our camp section and find out all of our 2010 Camp dates. Put them on your summer calendar before you make all of your vacation plans.

We have all of your summer camp favorites return, with a ton of expanded offerings! This year we have added a Team Basketball Camp for high school varsity and junior varsity teams that will start our summer 2010 schedule. Make sure that all of you high school players, speak with your coach and get your team in now. After such enormous popularity last summer we have expanded both our Day Camps and Biddie Ball, we have expanded to five sessions of Day Camp and two sessions of Biddie Ball! Also returning due to popular demand is our very popular Shooting and Big Man / Guard Clinics. Perhaps the most exciting week of the summer features the return of JuniorSuperstar and Superstar Overnight Camps. This year they will be combined into one exciting session of day and night hoops action! And for our newest and most unique camp of the summer, we want to make sure that you mark your Father's Day weekend for the First Annual Father Son Camp.

Again, make sure you check back November 2nd for more information about pricing and dates for all of our summer 2010 camps. On-line registration will be available in the coming months, so make sure you check back often.

Well, time to head to practice, so I gotta go. I hope to see you at a game soon!

Go Owls!

June 5, 2009

Welcome to camp season!

We are officially underway as of tonight at 6 PM with our Shooting Clinic. We will have a great turn out and we are pumped for our first summer camp session at Rice. If there is one basketball fundamental that stays constant throughout the career of a basketball player, it's the art of the jumpshot. I was watching the ESPN movie Kobe: Doing Work and Kobe was commenting on his own jumpshot saying "When I am missing shots, it's because my shots are flat. I make more shots when i put arch on the ball". That is something you hear if you are just starting out with the game or if your a future hall of famer like Kobe Bryant is. That is the great thing about camps, you can always learn something new or reinforce the important fundamentals that are crucial to your game. Speaking of Kobe, how about that performance last night? The focus, intensity, and tenacity he has on the court is unparallel to anyone else playing the game today. It is no coincidence that the best player in the world is also the hardest worker as well!

May 1, 2009

I'm really getting excited for the start of the Summer Camp Season to begin. The registrations are flying in and we as a staff are really looking forward to working with kids from all over Texas and putting on one of the best camps in the country.

I had the opportunity to check out the Rice Owls Baseball team in action last night and I can see why they are ranked # 2 in the nation!

Food update: Kenny and Ziggies Deli is by far the best sandwich that I have ever had, hands down! I recommend the corn beef and pastrami.