Britton Chooses Rice

If the way they are recruiting the Class of 2004 is any indication, Rice is certainly on the rise. With their third commitment from the Class of 2004, head coach Willis Wilson and the Owls landed Patrick Britton, a lanky 6-foot-8, 195-pound combo forward from Southwest High School in San Antonio. Britton made his pledge a few weeks after his official visit to campus.

"I just decided to go to Rice this weekend," said Britton. "I made my first visit there (September 13-14) and it was really nice. I got to meet the players and the staff as well as the academic dean. It just felt like a good fit. I could relate to the coaches and the players, and it would be a good place to play."

Britton chose Rice over Tulsa, Texas Tech, and Stanford. While Britton really liked Rice after his visit, he wanted to at least make one more visit before making a decision, so he made a trip to Tulsa the weekend of September 20-21. He had hoped to visit both Texas Tech and Stanford as well, but when Texas Tech received another commitment and Stanford indicated that they wanted to wait until spring, Britton decided to pull the trigger on Rice.

Britton really felt comfortable with the coaches and the players, something he has maintained would be a big factor in his decision from the beginning. While on his visit, he got a chance to scrimmage with the current roster - including Class of 2004 commit Rodney Foster. He likes the plans that the Owls have for him.

"The coach has a really good plan for me playing the four and working on my perimeter play," said Britton. "That was a positive. That will allow me to work my way into their system."

Britton will need to build strength for the college level, and plans on doing that, as well as enjoy his final season in high school now that he's made his decision.

"I'm working on getting stronger," said Britton. "But also staying focused on my senior year and having fun."

The holder of a 3.5 GPA and 1100 SAT score, Britton hopes to major in either Psychology or Business in college

Jed Tai is a senior writer with Hoopville.com