Photo by: Maria Lysaker
Rice Memories: Omar Mance
4/7/2020 2:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Blog
You transferred to Rice after playing your freshman year at LSU. What was it about Rice that appealed to you?
"Willis Wilson was the head coach and is the all-time winningest coach, a Rice alum, and a former Rice player. He was a mentor and father-like figure as a coach and reminded me of how my dad, Eric Mance, a successful coach in the Atlanta area at Lithonia High School, was in his career. He and assistant coach Marty Gross recruited me and Coach Gross knew my dad for years. When I was eight or nine, I attended a Jacksonville University camp and Coach Gross was there. So the strong relationship was there before LSU with both Wilson and Gross. Plus, it's Rice, a Top 15 Academic school, which meant a ton as a Valedictorian in high school and son of a coach and a mom (Teresa Mance) who was a special education teacher for 35 years. The City of Houston, the opportunity to make history at Rice, and the potential to play professional basketball (Rockets and NBA in town) all contributed to making Rice attractive to me."
What was your first year like?
"My first year at Rice was a redshirt season, so it was awesome to have a change in scenery. I spent that time growing in my faith, focusing on academics, engaging the Rice community as a whole, and building great relationships with teammates and life-long friends like Mike Wilks, my eventual roommate and close friend for life. But as Coach Willis Wilson said, 'Rice will be the hardest thing you ever do, but it will be the most rewarding as well.' As a minority student from a city like Atlanta at a school of higher learning like Rice, it was a huge adjustment culturally. That first year was a great time to sit out and understand a new group of people and demographics. I feel I was also able to show a lot of students at Rice a different type of true "STUDENT-athlete" that wasn't the stereotypical athlete. So, similar to Coach Wilson's advice, it was hard but 100% worth it."
Even though you had a year of college basketball under your belt, Rice brings different challenges. Was there a letterman that took you under their wing and helped you through it?
"This was the best part of Rice … the people and the family Coach Wilson had as former players and brothers. Mike Wilks for sure, who ended up playing in the NBA for eight years and winning an NBA championship, became a close friend. Also, guys like Rice alum and NBA legend Ricky Pierce, Torrey Andrews (alum), Brent Scott (legendary Rice player), Carlin Hartman (former assistant), Eric Singletary, Eric Cooper, Joe Branch (Rice Master's and former basketball staff), Terrence Gee (Rice Board of Trustees and friend of Coach Wilson), Bobby Tudor (former Board of Trustees and former player), Steve Trauber (Rice alum and former player) and many others Coach made sure we stayed connected with. It was a brotherhood."
Your sister, Akilah, was also a student at Rice while you were a student-athlete. How much did it help having a family member here who was going through the same things academically that you were?
"It was amazing to have my sister come to Rice. They did a great job reaching out to high academic minority students across the nation, so she was looking at it for academic scholarships. So, me bragging on the relationships surely helped. Rice is a small place with great friends, so it was special to have her cheer us on but also find her voice. She became BSA (Black Student Association) president, graduated in Political Science, spent a year studying at Oxford, and got a law degree from Georgia. So, as you see, she pushed me to be great while at Rice and achieved greatness for herself. Being able to love and hug on your little sister during good and bad times was huge. Plus, she was able to give me a hard time if we lost or didn't play well. Just kidding."
You played with Mike Wilks, who was your roommate, and Rice's all-time leading scorer Mike Harris, who both later went on to the NBA. What was it like playing with them and what effect did they have on your career?
"It was great because we all got to Rice on different recruiting paths, but had the same goals, which was to get a great degree and play basketball at the highest level. I was highly recruited and played in the SEC, whereas Mike came straight to Rice and didn't play a ton his first season, but ended up going from 4.0 points per game as a freshman to a senior year averaging 20 points per game and earning the WAC Most Valuable Player. We were similar in our faith journey and heavily involved together growing our Christian faith and growing in so many areas on and off the court. He was driven to defeat the odds coming from the inner city of Milwaukee and he did.
Mike Harris was younger than I was and I felt more like a big brother. He had only one other D1 offer out of high school and no one believed he could be great. So, his work ethic and eagerness to learn was awesome. I remember he wanted to be at Rice all summer to work out and train and be great. So being a big brother and getting to watch this laughable young kid named Mike Harris from the small community of Hillsboro, Teas transform into the all-time leader in points and rebounds, make First Team ALL-Western Athletic Conference, and reach the NBA was awesome.
To think these two great friends and teammates at Rice both went on to NBA careers, they are two of the greatest players in school history and now with Rice degrees is awesome. Add in that they were a part of one of the greatest runs in Rice history, it is such a blessing to know I was a part of all that."0
Your coach was Willis Wilson, who played for Rice in the 1980's. How did having a coach who went through the same things you did as a student-athlete help you and in what ways has he had an effect on you in your coaching career?
"He was amazing. If you know him, he the coolest coach I met. We called him "Chill Will" but he was one of the best mentors and father figures as well. He cared more about us as young men than basketball players. He recruited the best and brightest to Rice and young men that would never consider it. We came because he defeated the odds to be there as well. As the first African-American head coach at Rice, he had a huge weight on his shoulders to lead with integrity and character over anything else. He mentioned the 40-year decision, not a four-year one and preached preparing for success. He and his wife, Vicki Wilson, were a great Godly example and a strong family. They took us all under their wings and treated us like their sons. He told us the things to look out for on campus, but also how to navigate the sometimes impossible feats of Rice. It's because of Coach Wilson and my dad, Eric Mance, that I am a college head coach today. They instilled in me to impact lives through basketball as they did for me and hundreds of other young men. He hired me, after college and several international tours, to be on his staff at Rice. Since then I have been in coaching for over 14 years at places like Vanderbilt, Rice, Army, and Liberty, with the last two years as a college head coach at Trevecca in Nashville. I am so thankful he gave me my chance."
Is there a moment that stands out from your playing days?
"Of course. When we played the University of Houston, it was a huge rivalry before sold out standing room only crowds. One moment came when we beat them in my first game in the rivalry after transferring from LSU. It was a year after Clyde Drexler became the head coach (he played against Willis Wilson and Ricky Pierce during those Phi Slamma Jamma days in the SWC) and UH had several Houston recruits on the team. We had Mike Wilks and a ton of talent. We beat them by 20 in 2000, 65-45 and at the end, I got to help put it away with a breakaway dunk. It was maybe my last dunk, after a few injuries, but was fun and set the tone for a great career.
The other is one of my best games as a shooter my senior year. We won 19 games, the most in 20 years, and we played SMU at home. I made seven three-pointers in the game, which is the second most in school history and in one of the photos from the game you could see my little sister behind the bench cheering. It was as fitting a game for a senior year moment as I could ask for."
Rice brings with it certain challenges off the court. What do you remember most from your time at Rice off the court and was their anyone (professor, etc.) that helped you through it?
"When I think about my time at Rice off the court, I remember the relationships, involvement in the community, and the time in Houston with teammates. I was active in the academic offices with Julie Griswold, CRU (campus crusade for Christ) on campus, Impact Bible study on campus, and a group called Hope for Youth in inner-city Houston (an inner-city nonprofit mentoring at-risk kids). These were awesome ways to connect outside of hoops with all students, my teammates, and in Houston. I also spent time at the AMC 30, Galleria, and more than a few Taco Cabana runs with the team. The professors that took me under their wings and gave great mentorship were Robert Stein a professor in Political Science and Professor Alex Byrd, Associate Dean of Humanities."
Now that you are a head coach at Trevecca Nazarene, have you taken things you learned at Rice into your coaching style? Is there anything you've done that has made you look back and think that it came from your time at Rice?
"Love your players like they are your own. Coach Wilson did it for all of us and I feel an obligation to do it as a Head Coach as well. I think most of my experience at Rice has uniquely prepared me for any and every challenge that could come. Even the hard times remind me that I want to be a player's coach. I love impacting young people and seeing greatness in them to be Godly men like Coach Wilson did with us. I understand academics are hard but essential to a great career beyond the court. Rice was instrumental in life long relationships. I have been to tons of weddings of my teammates and I had two Rice teammates as my groomsmen at my wedding (Mike Wilks and Arte Culver). The life-long friendships I made as a student-athlete at Rice are a huge encouragement to the importance of the great relationships our players have at Trevecca. It's a Brotherhood. On the court, well, I shot a ton of three-pointers and graduated as one of the tops in school history, so we shoot a ton of threes!"
"Willis Wilson was the head coach and is the all-time winningest coach, a Rice alum, and a former Rice player. He was a mentor and father-like figure as a coach and reminded me of how my dad, Eric Mance, a successful coach in the Atlanta area at Lithonia High School, was in his career. He and assistant coach Marty Gross recruited me and Coach Gross knew my dad for years. When I was eight or nine, I attended a Jacksonville University camp and Coach Gross was there. So the strong relationship was there before LSU with both Wilson and Gross. Plus, it's Rice, a Top 15 Academic school, which meant a ton as a Valedictorian in high school and son of a coach and a mom (Teresa Mance) who was a special education teacher for 35 years. The City of Houston, the opportunity to make history at Rice, and the potential to play professional basketball (Rockets and NBA in town) all contributed to making Rice attractive to me."
What was your first year like?
"My first year at Rice was a redshirt season, so it was awesome to have a change in scenery. I spent that time growing in my faith, focusing on academics, engaging the Rice community as a whole, and building great relationships with teammates and life-long friends like Mike Wilks, my eventual roommate and close friend for life. But as Coach Willis Wilson said, 'Rice will be the hardest thing you ever do, but it will be the most rewarding as well.' As a minority student from a city like Atlanta at a school of higher learning like Rice, it was a huge adjustment culturally. That first year was a great time to sit out and understand a new group of people and demographics. I feel I was also able to show a lot of students at Rice a different type of true "STUDENT-athlete" that wasn't the stereotypical athlete. So, similar to Coach Wilson's advice, it was hard but 100% worth it."
Even though you had a year of college basketball under your belt, Rice brings different challenges. Was there a letterman that took you under their wing and helped you through it?
"This was the best part of Rice … the people and the family Coach Wilson had as former players and brothers. Mike Wilks for sure, who ended up playing in the NBA for eight years and winning an NBA championship, became a close friend. Also, guys like Rice alum and NBA legend Ricky Pierce, Torrey Andrews (alum), Brent Scott (legendary Rice player), Carlin Hartman (former assistant), Eric Singletary, Eric Cooper, Joe Branch (Rice Master's and former basketball staff), Terrence Gee (Rice Board of Trustees and friend of Coach Wilson), Bobby Tudor (former Board of Trustees and former player), Steve Trauber (Rice alum and former player) and many others Coach made sure we stayed connected with. It was a brotherhood."
Your sister, Akilah, was also a student at Rice while you were a student-athlete. How much did it help having a family member here who was going through the same things academically that you were?
"It was amazing to have my sister come to Rice. They did a great job reaching out to high academic minority students across the nation, so she was looking at it for academic scholarships. So, me bragging on the relationships surely helped. Rice is a small place with great friends, so it was special to have her cheer us on but also find her voice. She became BSA (Black Student Association) president, graduated in Political Science, spent a year studying at Oxford, and got a law degree from Georgia. So, as you see, she pushed me to be great while at Rice and achieved greatness for herself. Being able to love and hug on your little sister during good and bad times was huge. Plus, she was able to give me a hard time if we lost or didn't play well. Just kidding."
You played with Mike Wilks, who was your roommate, and Rice's all-time leading scorer Mike Harris, who both later went on to the NBA. What was it like playing with them and what effect did they have on your career?
"It was great because we all got to Rice on different recruiting paths, but had the same goals, which was to get a great degree and play basketball at the highest level. I was highly recruited and played in the SEC, whereas Mike came straight to Rice and didn't play a ton his first season, but ended up going from 4.0 points per game as a freshman to a senior year averaging 20 points per game and earning the WAC Most Valuable Player. We were similar in our faith journey and heavily involved together growing our Christian faith and growing in so many areas on and off the court. He was driven to defeat the odds coming from the inner city of Milwaukee and he did.
Mike Harris was younger than I was and I felt more like a big brother. He had only one other D1 offer out of high school and no one believed he could be great. So, his work ethic and eagerness to learn was awesome. I remember he wanted to be at Rice all summer to work out and train and be great. So being a big brother and getting to watch this laughable young kid named Mike Harris from the small community of Hillsboro, Teas transform into the all-time leader in points and rebounds, make First Team ALL-Western Athletic Conference, and reach the NBA was awesome.
To think these two great friends and teammates at Rice both went on to NBA careers, they are two of the greatest players in school history and now with Rice degrees is awesome. Add in that they were a part of one of the greatest runs in Rice history, it is such a blessing to know I was a part of all that."0
Your coach was Willis Wilson, who played for Rice in the 1980's. How did having a coach who went through the same things you did as a student-athlete help you and in what ways has he had an effect on you in your coaching career?
"He was amazing. If you know him, he the coolest coach I met. We called him "Chill Will" but he was one of the best mentors and father figures as well. He cared more about us as young men than basketball players. He recruited the best and brightest to Rice and young men that would never consider it. We came because he defeated the odds to be there as well. As the first African-American head coach at Rice, he had a huge weight on his shoulders to lead with integrity and character over anything else. He mentioned the 40-year decision, not a four-year one and preached preparing for success. He and his wife, Vicki Wilson, were a great Godly example and a strong family. They took us all under their wings and treated us like their sons. He told us the things to look out for on campus, but also how to navigate the sometimes impossible feats of Rice. It's because of Coach Wilson and my dad, Eric Mance, that I am a college head coach today. They instilled in me to impact lives through basketball as they did for me and hundreds of other young men. He hired me, after college and several international tours, to be on his staff at Rice. Since then I have been in coaching for over 14 years at places like Vanderbilt, Rice, Army, and Liberty, with the last two years as a college head coach at Trevecca in Nashville. I am so thankful he gave me my chance."
Is there a moment that stands out from your playing days?
"Of course. When we played the University of Houston, it was a huge rivalry before sold out standing room only crowds. One moment came when we beat them in my first game in the rivalry after transferring from LSU. It was a year after Clyde Drexler became the head coach (he played against Willis Wilson and Ricky Pierce during those Phi Slamma Jamma days in the SWC) and UH had several Houston recruits on the team. We had Mike Wilks and a ton of talent. We beat them by 20 in 2000, 65-45 and at the end, I got to help put it away with a breakaway dunk. It was maybe my last dunk, after a few injuries, but was fun and set the tone for a great career.
The other is one of my best games as a shooter my senior year. We won 19 games, the most in 20 years, and we played SMU at home. I made seven three-pointers in the game, which is the second most in school history and in one of the photos from the game you could see my little sister behind the bench cheering. It was as fitting a game for a senior year moment as I could ask for."
Rice brings with it certain challenges off the court. What do you remember most from your time at Rice off the court and was their anyone (professor, etc.) that helped you through it?
"When I think about my time at Rice off the court, I remember the relationships, involvement in the community, and the time in Houston with teammates. I was active in the academic offices with Julie Griswold, CRU (campus crusade for Christ) on campus, Impact Bible study on campus, and a group called Hope for Youth in inner-city Houston (an inner-city nonprofit mentoring at-risk kids). These were awesome ways to connect outside of hoops with all students, my teammates, and in Houston. I also spent time at the AMC 30, Galleria, and more than a few Taco Cabana runs with the team. The professors that took me under their wings and gave great mentorship were Robert Stein a professor in Political Science and Professor Alex Byrd, Associate Dean of Humanities."
Now that you are a head coach at Trevecca Nazarene, have you taken things you learned at Rice into your coaching style? Is there anything you've done that has made you look back and think that it came from your time at Rice?"Love your players like they are your own. Coach Wilson did it for all of us and I feel an obligation to do it as a Head Coach as well. I think most of my experience at Rice has uniquely prepared me for any and every challenge that could come. Even the hard times remind me that I want to be a player's coach. I love impacting young people and seeing greatness in them to be Godly men like Coach Wilson did with us. I understand academics are hard but essential to a great career beyond the court. Rice was instrumental in life long relationships. I have been to tons of weddings of my teammates and I had two Rice teammates as my groomsmen at my wedding (Mike Wilks and Arte Culver). The life-long friendships I made as a student-athlete at Rice are a huge encouragement to the importance of the great relationships our players have at Trevecca. It's a Brotherhood. On the court, well, I shot a ton of three-pointers and graduated as one of the tops in school history, so we shoot a ton of threes!"
Rice Men's Basketball Team Impact Signing
Friday, March 28
Rice MBB vs. Wichita State Postgame Presser
Friday, March 07
Rice vs. Tulsa Postgame Press Conference 2/22/25
Saturday, February 22
MBB Postgame Presser vs. UAB 2/19/25
Thursday, February 20