Q&A with Owls' freshman forward Seth Gearhart

Posted: October 29, 2011 - 1:30pm CDT.

HRR chat w/ Rice Owls' Seth Gearhart

Rice Owls freshman forward, Seth Gearhart, is one of six freshman on the 2011-'12 Rice Owls basketball team. Gearhart, 6'7", 208 pounds, is from Wilsonville, Oregon.

Gearhart averaged 18.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 18.8 assists per game in his senior year of high school.

HRR: Seth, you're from Oregon. How did you end up at Rice?

Seth: Well, the summer after my junior year, I was getting a few letters here and there from Rice; and, actually, I talked to Coach (Mike) Roberts once; but, then, I didn't hear from them for awhile. After my senior season, they called me and said a spot opened up; and, it just went from there. Here I am.

HRR: Had you thought about attending Rice before?

Seth: When they contacted me, I looked them a little bit. I thought it was a great school. After I didn't hear from the for awhile, I started looking at other schools.

HRR: What other schools were you considering?

Seth: At the end, I was down to UC Irvine, Tulane, Hartford, and the University of New Hampshire.

HRR: Describe your skills for me. What can you do well?

Seth: I'd say the main thing is pick-and-pop. I'm more of a shooting-type big man rather than scoring on the block.

HRR: Do you have three-point range or more mid-range?

Seth: Three-point range; and, I'm working on my inside game for the offense here.

HRR: How have these few weeks of practice been differed from practice in high school?

Seth: It's a lot different. The physicality. Guys are bigger and stronger. The speed of the game in general makes it a lot tougher than it was in high school.

HRR: What do you think about Houston's humidity? Has it impacted you?

Seth: (laughs) It was a bit shocking over the summer with how hot it got. Walking between classes and you start sweating no matter how far the walk; so, that definitely surprised me at first.

HRR: What has the coaching staff told you they're expecting from you to help the team this season?

Seth: Basically, help whenever I can -- if it's two minutes or twenty or whatever it's going to be. 'Do whatever you can and rebound.'

HRR: How often or have you gotten homesick at all?

Seth: Here and there. Of course, I'm going to miss my friends and family back home; but, being here, at a school like Rice, and with the team that we have, it's not bad at all. I get to be around people that I like being around.