One day after announcing the signing of former Belmont guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Maryland has announced the addition of its second portal guard with former Virginia Tech guard Rodney Rice officially a Terp.
Rice, a 6-foot-4 guard originally from Clinton, MD, joins the program with three years of eligibility remaining after sitting out through the entire 2023-24 season.
“We’re excited to add Rodney to the program and have him return to his home state,” Willard said via release. “He’s obviously dealt with some obstacles early in his career, but has a drive and determination to come in, work hard, and give us a boost as a scoring guard.”
Rice became a frequent face in College Park once winter break rolled around, attending multiple home games and training with Darren Mclinton in College Park alongside Jahmir Young inside the Xfinity Center. Still, Maryland waited until the official start of the transfer portal to initiate contact with Rice before bringing him in for a visit on March 20 to make his commitment official.
“I knew it was a good situation when I first took the visit,” Rice told IBG about his commitment to Maryland. “As soon as I took my visit, that’s when I knew. I still had some other options but we made Maryland work. I wanted to come because first of all, it’s home. I’ve been wanting to come to Maryland for a long time. When I was getting recruited out of high school, watching Melo Trimble and Ant Cowan play, that’s when I really wanted to come.”
Rice joins Gillespie, DeShawn Harris-Smith and Chance Stephens in the backcourt next season while Maryland will look to make a move with UC-San Diego guard Bryce Pope during his visit later this month.
More on Rice:
Rice played for the Hokies during the 2022-23 season, but suffered numerous injuries throughout the year which hampered his productivity. He played in eight total games averaging 7.4 points and 3.3 rebounds in 20.1 minutes per game. He had a season-high 17 points against NC State in the second round of the ACC Tournament where he hit 5-of-7 from deep. He also scored 11 points at Duke (2/25/23) and had 10 against Florida State (3/4/23). Rice stepped away from the Virginia Tech program during the 2023-24 season.
The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 18.5 points per game in three years at DeMatha and was an All-Met First Team selection in 2021-22 after leading the Stags in scoring. He came out of high school ranked as the third-best player in the state of Maryland and the 10th-best combo guard nationally. As a four-star recruit, aside from Virginia Tech, he was also heavily recruited by Louisville, Alabama, Notre Dame, Georgetown, and the Terps.
Related Links
Maryland baseball looks to rebound in big series vs. Indiana
Local ’26 DB Hakim Satterwhite high on early relationships with Maryland staff (+)
Jordan Geronimo returning to Maryland basketball in 2024-25
Four-star safety Faheem Delane includes Maryland in top five
