Men's Basketball
- Title:
- Head Coach
Mike Rhoades served as Rice's men's basketball coach from 2014-17.
In two years on South Main, Rhoades has led the Owls to 15 wins in Conference USA, which are the most by a coach in their first two years since 1992-94. He has coached two All-Conference USA members, including 2016 C-USA Freshman of the Year Marcus Evans.Last year, Rhoades led the Owls to a 12-20 record. He led Rice to its first four-game conference winning streak since joining Conference USA, including a win at C-USA Tournament runner-up Old Dominion.
In his first year on campus, Rhoades led the Owls to a 12-20 record. However, Rice became stronger and more difficult to play as the season went on, particularly toward the end. In back-to-back games, the Owls knocked off Conference USA Tournament runner-up Middle Tennessee and C-USA Champion UAB, both in double overtime. Rice also defeated North Texas in the first round of the C-USA Tournament, its first tournament victory since 2011.
Rhoades was named head coach on March 26, 2014. He spent the previous five seasons on staff at VCU, which posted a 137-46 record during his tenure. The Rams played in postseason tournaments each of his five years, the last four in the NCAA Tournament. That run was highlighted by a trip to the Final Four in 2011.
Rhoades joined Shaka Smart's staff as an assistant coach in Smart's first season (2009-10), a year which saw the Rams win 27 games and the CBI Tournament championship. The following season, VCU tied the program record with 28 wins and made national during a thrilling run as an 11th seed that saw the Rams defeat USC, Georgetown, Purdue, Florida State and Kansas to earn a spot in the Final Four, held at Reliant Stadium in Houston.
Rhoades was promoted to associate head coach following the season, and helped VCU set a new program record with 29 wins en route to the second of four-straight NCAA Tournament appearances. The team knocked off fifth-seeded Wichita State to advance to the Round of 32 against Indiana. Following the season Rhoades was named one of the top 10 assistant coaches under the age of 40 by ESPN.com.
In 2012-13, Rhoades and the Rams advanced to the Atlantic 10 championship game and again earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as a five seed. The Rams knocked off Akron in their first game to mark their seventh NCAA Tournament win in just four seasons. VCU then fell to national runner-up Michigan in the following round.
In 2013-14, VCU repeated its success as an at-large fifth seed to the NCAA Tournament with a 26-9 mark following a 12-4 record in A-10 play. The Rams toppled No. 3 Virginia in an early-season road contest and finished second in the league, one game behind fellow top-25 foe Saint Louis.
Before making the move to the Division I ranks at VCU, Rhoades gained 10 years of head coaching experience at NCAA Division III Randolph-Macon College in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC), which is located 20 miles north of the VCU campus.
Rhoades compiled a 72.2 winning percentage (197-76 record) at Randolph-Macon, leading the Yellow Jackets to four NCAA Tournament appearances, including trips to the Sweet 16 in 2002 and `03.
Rhoades' teams won six ODAC championships and earned national No. 1 rankings in two seasons. He was named ODAC Coach of the Year in three-straight seasons from 2001-03, coached three ODAC Players of the Year, five ODAC Freshmen of the Year as well as 17 first and second team all-ODAC selections. In 2003 he was named NABC South District Coach of the Year and State Coach of the Year by the Richmond Times-Dispatch. He began his coaching career at age 23 as an assistant at Randolph-Macon in 1996 under long-time head coach Hal Nunnally. The Yellow Jackets posted winning records in all three seasons with Rhoades on staff before he was elevated to head coach in 1999 at age 25.
Rhoades played collegiately at Lebanon Valley College in his home state of Pennsylvania and led the squad to the 1994 NCAA Division III national championship under coach Pat Flannery in a 66-59 overtime win against New York University. The entire team was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in October 2014, the 20th anniversary of the title.
The guard was named USA Today DIII National Player of the Year in 1995 and twice earned all-America honors. He graduated with a degree in history in 1995. He left as the school's all-time scoring leader and still holds Lebanon Valley records in free-throw percentage (84.5 pct.), assists (668) and steals (212). His No. 5 jersey was later retired.
Following his collegiate playing career, Rhoades spent one year playing professionally. He earned an invite to the Phoenix Suns summer camp and then pursued his career in France before his season was cut short by an injury.
The Mahanoy City, Pa. native and his wife Jodie have two sons, Logan (12), and Chase (7), and one daughter, Porter (10).
The Rhoades File
Hometown: Mahanoy City, Pa.
High School: Mahanoy Area HS
College: Lebanon Valley College (Pa.), 1995 (History)
Family: Wife - Jodie; Sons - Logan and Chase; Daughter - Porter
Playing Career
1991-95, Lebanon Valley College
Coaching Career
1996-2009, Randolph-Macon College
1996-99, Asst. Coach
1999-2009, Head Coach
2009-14, VCU
2009-11, Asst. Coach
2011-14, Assoc. Head Coach
2014-pres., Head Coach, Rice University
Rhoades Coaching Record
| Randolph-Macon College | |||||
| Season | Position | Record | Postseason | ||
| 1996-97 | Asst. Coach | 14-11 | |||
| 1997-98 | Asst. Coach | 20-8 | NCAA First Round | ||
| 1998-99 | Asst. Coach | 23-6 | NCAA Second Round | ||
| Asst. Coach Total | 57-25 | .695 | |||
| 1999-2000 | Head Coach | 13-12 | |||
| 2000-01 | Head Coach | 16-10 | ODAC Coach of the Year | ||
| 2001-02 | Head Coach | 24-6 | NCAA Sweet 16, ODAC Coach of the Year | ||
| 2002-03 | Head Coach | 28-2 | NCAA Sweet 16, ODAC Coach of the Year | ||
| 2003-04 | Head Coach | 23-5 | NCAA Second Round | ||
| 2004-05 | Head Coach | 17-10 | |||
| 2005-06 | Head Coach | 22-7 | NCAA First Round | ||
| 2006-07 | Head Coach | 14-12 | |||
| 2007-08 | Head Coach | 20-6 | |||
| 2008-09 | Head Coach | 20-6 | |||
| Head Coach Total | 197-76 | .722 | |||
| Total | 254-101 | .715 | |||
| VCU | |||||
| Season | Position | Record | Postseason | ||
| 2009-10 | Asst. Coach | 27-9 | CBI Champion | ||
| 2010-11 | Asst. Coach | 28-12 | NCAA Final Four | ||
| 2011-12 | Assoc. Head Coach | 29-7 | NCAA Round of 32 | ||
| 2012-13 | Assoc. Head Coach | 27-9 | NCAA Round of 32 | ||
| 2013-14 | Assoc. Head Coach | 26-9 | NCAA Round of 64 | ||
| Total | 137-46 | .749 | |||
| Rice | |||||
| Season | Position | Record | Postseason | ||
| 2014-15 | Head Coach | 12-20 | |||
| 2015-16 | Head Coach | 12-20 | |||
| Total | 24-40 | .375 | |||
