The Maryland men’s basketball team made a key addition Sunday during what promises to be a busy offseason, earning a commitment from former Virginia Tech guard Rodney Rice less than a week after the local product entered the transfer portal.
“It feels like a weight off my shoulders,” Rice said. “Today is just a lot of happiness and excitement. It’s the right situation for me.”
Rice, a former standout at DeMatha, will arrive in College Park after a short and dramatic stint with the Hokies. After playing just eight games in an injury-plagued freshman year in 2022-23, Rice opted not to play his sophomore season in Blacksburg. He announced he was stepping away from the team in October, just over a month before this season was set to begin.
“There were some things at Virginia Tech that did not align with what I wanted,” Rice said. “So I talked about it with my family, and I think we made a sound decision.”
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In the months since, he has stayed close to home and worked out with a private trainer, waiting for the opportunity to meet with teams when the transfer portal opened last Monday.
“I just wanted to get my body and my game better,” Rice said. “But honestly it’s been hard watching college basketball, even high school basketball, while I can’t play.”
The crafty guard is a key addition to a Maryland roster in flux. In addition to losing seniors Jahmir Young and Donta Scott, the Terps have seen three players enter the transfer portal over the past week: sophomore guard Noah Batchelor, freshman guard Jahnathan Lamothe and sophomore center Caelum Swanton-Rodger.
“This is home for me,” Rice said. “My friends and family can come see my play. But I also wanted to play for Coach [Kevin] Willard. He really lets his guards go, lets his guards boogie, and I feel like my game can really develop while playing for him.”
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A Clinton, Md., native, Rice starred at Bullis for two years before transferring to DeMatha. In his senior season with the Stags, Rice earned All-Met first-team honors. He signed with Virginia Tech in November 2021, joining former DeMatha coach Mike Jones, who had left Hyattsville to become an associate head coach with the Hokies.
Jones moved from Virginia Tech to Maryland last spring to serve on Willard’s staff, but he recently left the Terps after less than one season to take the head coaching job at Old Dominion, his alma mater.
In eight games with the Hokies, Rice averaged 7.4 points and 3.3 rebounds, showing flashes of the playmaking abilities that made him a well-respected name on the D.C. high school scene.
“Maryland is getting a confident player, a three-level scorer and a playmaker,” Rice said. “I want to help lead this team and help them win a lot of basketball games.”
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