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HOUSTON – On Thursday morning, HBU James Sears Bryant Head Men's Basketball Coach
Ron Cottrell joined Rice head coach Scott Pera in announcing the Huskies' participation in the Owl Invitational featuring the
Darius Lee Memorial Classic from Nov. 18-21.
"We are honored to participate with Rice in the Owl Invitational featuring the
Darius Lee Memorial Classic," said Cottrell. It is exciting for us to be hosting such quality opponents as Western Michigan and Georgia Southern in Sharp Gym as part of the Invitational. We are especially grateful to be partnering with the Owls to pay tribute to
Darius Lee in the finale at Rice."
The Owl Invitational is a four-team round robin tournament featuring the Owls and Huskies along with Georgia Southern and Western Michigan. On day one of the tournament, Friday, Nov. 18, HBU will host Western Michigan in Sharp Gym while Rice and Georgia Southern will play at Tudor Fieldhouse. On Saturday, Nov. 19, WMU will visit Sharp Gym to face the Huskies with GSU playing the Owls in Tudor Fieldhouse. The Broncos and Eagles will then play each other on Sunday, Nov. 20, at Tudor Fieldhouse. To close out the tournament, HBU and Rice will play on Monday, Nov. 21, in the
Darius Lee Memorial Classic at Rice.
"We are thrilled to partner with Houston Baptist University in this unique format," said Rice head coach Scott Pera. "Rice and HBU will play the final game in the
Darius Lee Memorial Classic where we will honor the life of HBU's star player, who was tragically lost this summer. We hope the community comes out and supports the event and shows support for the entire HBU community as they honor their student, teammate, player, and friend."
"Losing Darius has affected so many of us, and that is a testament to the person he was," added Cottrell. "While obviously he will be physically missed on the court and in our daily lives, his spirit is with us each and every day. I want to personally thank Coach Pera and the Owls for this unique collaboration to honor Darius' life."
Lee's life was cut short at the age of 21 in June by a senseless act of gun violence while he was home in Harlem, N.Y. Lee was the HBU Robbie Robertson Male Student-Athlete of the Year for the 2021-22 school year and was a second team all-conference performer on the court. He finished last season seventh in the nation in steals per game and led the Huskies in scoring and rebounding. His 52 points against McNeese to close the regular season was the highest point total by any NCAA Division I player last season and tied the school record for most points in a single game.
