With the beginning of school basketball season approaching, we’ve moved from our have a look at different Massive Ten packages to our player-by-player previews of the 2024-25 Indiana roster.
At present, our participant profiles proceed with redshirt sophomore Myles Rice.
Beforehand: Bryson Tucker, Jakai Newton
Myles Rice was arguably a very powerful amongst Indiana’s additions from the switch portal final spring.
The Hoosiers’ level guard play was a major deficiency final season. Xavier Johnson, anticipated to be the group’s on-court chief, was injured and out and in of the lineup for a lot of the season. Gabe Cupps was not ready to shoulder the load of the place as a freshman.
Guard play is important for fulfillment and Indiana’s was not adequate in Mike Woodson’s third season in Bloomington.
In Rice, Indiana has a participant who can rapidly shore up the purpose guard place and make it a energy reasonably than a legal responsibility. The 6-foot-3 redshirt sophomore was among the finest tales within the sport final season.
A category of 2021 prospect from Sandy Creek Excessive Faculty in Tyrone, Georgia, Rice was under-recruited out of highschool as a result of COVID-19 pandemic. School coaches didn’t get an opportunity to guage him carefully within the last summer time earlier than his senior 12 months and he ended up with only one excessive main provide, Washington State.
In his first 12 months at Washington State, Rice redshirted because the Cougars had been set on the guard positions with a pair of upperclassmen. The plan was for Rice to make use of the 2021-22 season for improvement after which be part of the rotation within the 2022-23 marketing campaign. However issues didn’t go as deliberate.
Rice was identified with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and missed the 2022-23 season as he underwent remedy. He obtained his last chemotherapy remedy on March 9, 2023 and was cleared and in remission by June of 2023.
After two seasons on the sidelines in Pullman, Rice wasted no time producing as a redshirt freshman final season at Washington State. He averaged 14.8 factors, 3.8 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals and was named Pac-12 freshman of the 12 months, the primary in program historical past for the Cougars. It was a outstanding season for a participant who had simply crushed most cancers months earlier.
Following the season, Washington State coach Kyle Smith was employed by Stanford and Rice went into the switch portal. With a previous relationship on employees with affiliate head coach Yasir Rosemond, Indiana labored to get him on campus rapidly and landed his dedication on April 13.
“Myles is a savvy, downhill guard that basically succeeds in pick-and-roll conditions,” Woodson mentioned in April. “He’s a three-level scorer that makes the best play persistently, whether or not that’s attending to the rim or discovering the open man. He’s going to be an enormous assist for our ballclub, and we’re very excited to welcome him and his household to Bloomington.”
Now in his fourth season in school, Rice has three seasons of eligibility remaining however is a veteran when it comes to his school expertise. He has the power to be a game-changer for Indiana.
At Washington State, he was among the finest guard defenders within the Pac-12. His size helps him get into passing lanes and his steal share of two.4 final season ranked 14th within the convention.
As a distributor, he led the Cougars with 134 assists and was very efficient within the pick-and-roll. He performed with two bigs final season at Washington State and can accomplish that once more this winter in Bloomington with Oumar Ballo and Malik Reneau. Past his skill to share the ball, Rice may also create offense for himself. He shot almost 51 % on 2s and was efficient within the midrange as nicely.
His 3-point capturing numbers weren’t nice – 27.5 % – however a prolonged droop throughout the season dragged that share down. The hope is Rice can a minimum of shoot within the low 30 % vary from a distance.
Backside line: Indiana’s level guard needs to be a lot better this season with Rice, a first-team All Pac-12 choice final season, on the place. His velocity with the ball in his fingers makes him a menace from wherever on the ground and he must also be capable to warmth up the ball defensively, which the Hoosiers had been sorely missing for many of final season. Rice additionally has management qualities on and off the ground that ought to rapidly make him one of the crucial revered voices within the locker room.
Quotable: “His velocity. It adjustments the sport for us, together with Kanaan (Carlyle), and the truth that he can rating the ball. His largest problem proper now’s simply actually being a stable level guard and ensuring he understands there are different gamers round him that may additionally assist, too. That’s a studying course of for lots of level guards whenever you’re that younger. You gotta embody everyone and determine learn how to make everyone pleased whenever you bought the ball in your fingers. It’s simply not him, it’s everyone who has the ball as a result of now we have various guys now that may make performs with the basketball. That helps you.” – Woodson at media day when requested what stands out about Rice.
Media day interview with Rice:
(Photograph credit score: IU Athletics)
Filed to: 2024-25 season preview, Myles Rice
