21-03-2025
Rodney Rice came home to Maryland, and he's got something cooking
After the Big Ten released its men's basketball all-conference teams this month at the conclusion of the regular season, Maryland's Rodney Rice took exception to receiving no recognition despite being among the leaders in several important categories for the Terrapins and a major contributor to their resurgence.
The sophomore guard's teammates were somewhat bewildered as well, having witnessed his dedication to the program he transferred to this past offseason for a fresh start near his hometown. Rice grew up in Clinton, Maryland, and was a standout high school player at DeMatha, a short drive from Maryland's campus in College Park.
Rather than pout publicly, Rice directed his discontent over the perceived slight toward the next opponent. Illinois never stood a chance in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals: Rice sank 7 of 9 three-pointers, the most in any conference tournament game for Maryland, and scored 26 points to spark an 88-65 win last week in Indianapolis.
'For sure,' Rice said with a wry grin when asked whether being snubbed for all-Big Ten honors served as incentive. 'I'm glad I got the motivation. I'm just going to continue to play and let my game do the talking.'
The record-setting performance was the latest highlight in one of the more compelling comeback stories in major college basketball. The journey continues Friday when fourth-seeded Maryland (25-8) plays No. 13 seed Grand Canyon (26-7) in Seattle in the NCAA tournament round of 64.
The 6-foot-4 Rice spent his freshman season at Virginia Tech, where he reunited with then-Hokies assistant Mike Jones. The current Old Dominion coach held the same position at DeMatha before departing the WCAC power in Hyattsville, Maryland, to join Virginia Tech's staff under Coach Mike Young.
But during the summer before arriving on campus in Blacksburg, Rice broke his ankle and missed the first 16 games of the season. He scored two points in his debut at Syracuse in January 2023, then broke a finger diving for the ball in practice. Rice played in seven more games that season.
While recovering from the fracture, Rice didn't have much interest in watching basketball, he said, because it proved too difficult to stomach, given he wasn't able to participate on the court.
'He's obviously dealt with some obstacles early in his career,' Maryland Coach Kevin Willard said.
A month before the start of what was to be his sophomore season with the Hokies, Rice announced he would be stepping away from basketball. He used that lengthy pause to assess his future, landing on the decision to play for the Terps in part because of his comfort level with two assistants at Maryland.
Jones had left Virginia Tech to join Willard's staff, which also included David Cox, now an associate head coach for the Terps. Cox had been the head coach at Rhode Island and was among the first to recruit Rice, who received his first collegiate offers as a rising eighth-grader at Bullis in Potomac, Maryland.
Rice left Bullis after his sophomore year to complete high school at DeMatha, where he was selected first-team All-Met as a senior. Well before then, Rice was drawing comparisons to his father, also named Rodney, who was one of the top three-point shooters for Richmond from 1985 through 1988.
The younger Rice has embraced that role for the Terps, though one of his most memorable moments came when he passed up a three-point attempt in the closing seconds against Penn State. He instead used a ball fake to get his defender in the air, dribbled several steps inside the arc and swished a baseline jumper to ice a 68-64 win in University Park, Pennsylvania, where the Terps had lost seven in a row.
Rice had made only 1 of 12 shots from the field before that basket but did not hesitate during the closing seconds after receiving a pass in front of the Maryland bench from point guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie.
Still, Rice's 74 three-pointers are the second most on the team behind Gillespie (80). Rice is the third-leading scorer (13.9 points per game) for Maryland and third in three-point field goal percentage (37.6) behind guard-forward Selton Miguel (41.6), a fifth-year transfer from South Florida, and Gillispie (41.2), a junior transfer from Belmont.
That trio vaulted the Terps to third place in three-point field goal percentage (37.2) in the Big Ten. That accuracy from behind the arc is in stark contrast to last season, when Maryland shot 28.9 percent, the second lowest in the conference, and missed the NCAA tournament with a 16-17 record.
The addition of Rice came not long after the Terps got a commitment from Baltimore native Derik Queen, one of the most coveted high school prospects in the country who went on to be selected Big Ten freshman of the year. Rice, Queen and senior forward Julian Reese, who grew up in Baltimore, are the three most prominent representatives from the state to wear a Maryland uniform this season.
'I think the other thing that was one reason [Rice] really wanted to come here was he knew he would have some freedom on the offensive end, but also that we were going to be patient with him and work with him to get him back' from injury, Willard said. 'He really liked that aspect of this program, that we were going to spend a lot of time on him and not put any pressure on him that's unreasonable. I think he's played great.'
