Rice head basketball coach Scott Pera announced the promotions of Derek Glasser to Assistant Coach and Ryan Kapustka to Director of Basketball Operations, as well as the addition of Greg Howell as Video Coordinator Friday morning.
“Today I want to announce some changes to our staff. I am promoting Derek Glasser to Assistant Coach and am adding Greg Howell as our new Video Coordinator. As we continue to move the program forward I feel these two rising stars in the coaching profession will add tremendous value to what we are building. Derek’s move to the assistant position will be seamless, as he has demonstrated his ability to communicate at a high level with all levels of the athletic department and most importantly, our players. His knowledge of the game will translate and be a tremendous asset in player development and in-game strategy and preparation. He will also prove to be a relentless recruiter as we continue to identify the top student-athletes across the country.
“I am just as excited about adding another one of my ex-players in Greg Howell to the staff. Greg was always one of the hardest working players I have coached. That has served him well in his post-playing days as he has done a variety of things in the basketball world over the past decade. He is great communicator, and will be a tremendous asset to our assistants and myself with his video knowledge. He will also prove to be a valuable mentor for our players. Greg and Derek were the starting backcourt on my 2006 California State Championship team at Artesia and now join forces again as we push towards the top of Conference USA.
“In addition, I am pleased to announce the addition of Ryan Kapustka as our new Director of Operations. Ryan did an excellent job as our graduate assistant the last two years. He has multiple qualities that will help him add value in his new role. Ryan is a relentless worker that possesses strong attention to detail qualities. I am excited to watch him grow and excel in our program.”
Glasser has spent the last two years as the Owls’ Video Coordinator, where he prepared all post-practice video the coaches and team. Additionally, he prepared video on all upcoming opponents. Glasser spent the previous year as an assistant coach at Caltech. Prior to Caltech, he spent time overseas, playing for Maccabi Haifa in Israel and Kalev Cramo in Estonia.”
The Lakewood, Calif., native starred at Arizona State from 2006-10, where he became the first player in school history to record 1,000 points and 500 assists in his career. He served as team captain for three years, playing the most games in school history. As a senior, he was named to the All-Tournament Teams by the Preseason NIT and the Pac-10 Tournament while earning All-Conference Honorable Mention.
“I would like to thank Coach Pera and Rice University for having the confidence in me to continue advancing my coaching career,” said Glasser. “I’m honored to help lead the Rice program. The young men in our program are incredibly driven, selfless and brilliant. To be able to coach at one of the nation’s top academic institutions is exciting and I am thrilled to be a part of it. It’s going to be a blessing to work side by side with someone I have played for and known for almost twenty years.”
Kapustka spent the last two years as a Graduate Assistant on South Main where he helped prepare scouting reports for the coaching staff and provided daily individual workouts for the team. He also assisted the Director of Operations in completing expense reports, team budgets, travel logistics, equipment organization, gameday operations and scheduling for future seasons.
Kapustka earned his bachelor’s degree from Michigan in 2018, where he served as a manager for the 2018 national runner-up and two-time Big Ten champion.
“I would like to thank Coach Pera and Rice University for giving me the opportunity to begin my college coaching career,” said Kapustka. “I am very excited to continue helping student-athletes achieve their dreams both athletically and academically. I look forward to learning and growing under a tremendous coaching staff.”
Howell comes to South Main after spending the last four years as Director and Head Coach of the Team Harden AAU basketball program, where he handled all administrative responsibilities while developing and implementing training programs for all teams.
Prior to Team Harden, Howell served as a Marketing Associate and Scouting Assistant for the Houston Rockets. While with the Rockets, he assisted with online scouting future potential prospects while creating detailed reports on player’s on-court performance.
“I would like to thank Coach Pera and Rice University for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to begin my college coaching career,” said Howell. “I’m honored and excited to work for one of the best universities in the world. I have had the opportunity over the past eight years to mentor and work with great high school players across the state of Texas while running Team Harden. I look forward to putting all my energy and knowledge that I have gained into our great student-athletes at Rice. I’m blessed to be working with my mentor, Coach Pera. I also look forward to working with a staff driven by success and the betterment of Rice University and its student athletes.”
Howell earned his degree from Waldorf College in 2012, where he starred from 2010-12, recording 81 career steals, the sixth most in school history.
https://riceowls.com/news/2020/7/3/mens-basketball-announces-coaching-changes.aspx
