As if enduring the worst season in Rice history wasn't bad enough, the Owls' flight to Memphis for the Conference USA tournament was cancelled because of bad weather and the team was forced to fly to Little Rock, Ark., and take a bus to Memphis.

"This is a fitting end considering the way things have gone for us this season," Rice coach Willis Wilson told the Houston Chronicle while laughing -- possibly to keep from crying. "I've never seen anything to rival this. Never."

Unfortunately for Wilson, things got worse. With a 59-50 loss to Southern Miss in the opening round of the C-USA tournament on March 12, the Owls closed out their season with a 20-game losing streak, a 3-27 record overall and an 0-16 conference record. Two days later, the situation went from bad to worse for Wilson when he was fired after 16 seasons as the head coach at his alma mater.

"Willis has been very successful as a coach here," Rice athletic director Chris Del Conte said. "He's a good person and a great man, but after a period of time, I just felt that we were in a position where we needed to make a change. As an institution, we needed to go in a different direction."

What is particularly troubling for Wilson and his supporters is that he managed to field a competitive basketball team for most of those 16 seasons despite a lack of administrative support, an outdated gym and steep academic and budget restrictions. He even spent nearly 10 seasons attempting to rally support for a renovation of antiquated Autry Court, a home court that did more to chase away recruits than encourage them to give Rice a chance.

Wilson finally got his wish last week when the university announced and began work on a $28 million renovation, money that Wilson helped raise along with a former teammate, Bobby Tudor, who contributed at least $7 million. The only hitch was that the Owls would play all their "home" games at three different locations in the Houston area. Between the lack of a true homecourt and the loss of six key players to injuries and academics over the course of the season, the Owls' opportunity for success was limited at best.

And now Wilson's not going to coach in the newly renovated Autry Court, scheduled to open this fall, or lead a team that returns all but two players.

"The fact that Willis has a tight connection with every one of (the donors), it would have been really nice to see him coach in that building," Rice assistant coach Marty Gillespie told the Houston Chronicle. "The year we had, regardless of the circumstances and situations, loaded the gun for the administration."

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