Despite the prominence of taller basketball players in the headlines in recent weeks, most basketball teams are led and driven by their point guards. Indiana Hoosiers head coach Mike Woodson, well versed in this knowledge, has gone to a point guard as he begins the quest to raid the Transfer Portal to fill Indiana’s remaining scholarships. That point guard is Myles Rice, formerly of Washington State, and last year’s Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.
Rice is a compelling story, overcoming a cancer diagnosis that delayed his career and kept him separated from his family for portions of the COVID-19 pandemic to lead the Cougars to the NCAA Tournament last year while averaging 15 points, three rebounds, and three assists per game. Given what he’s had to go through just to get back on the court, and the position at which he plays, Rice appears to be the consummate definition of a floor general, someone to provide the leadership and stability that the Hoosiers often lacked at times last year, especially when point guard Xavier Johnson was sidelined due to injury.
That leadership comes with a degree of responsibility that, while heavy, may ultimately benefit the Hoosiers at other positions as well. Rice can now be a volunteer recruiter for a program that expects to have its share of visitors in the days to come. Two of them, Arizona center Oumar Ballo and Stanford guard Kanaan Carlyle, are predicted by some recruiting services to already be leaning towards Indiana. Now, Woodson and company could choose any of their current players to endorse the program. Mackenzie Mgbako, for example, is but one example of a player who came to Bloomington and chose not to leave. However, then there’s Rice, a gifted player looking for a home amidst the chaos of the Portal world, who found one that suited him so well that he apparently was sold from the get-go.
Rice has been handed the keys to one of the most decorated programs in the land, at a point in time when other Big Ten programs seem to be facing uncertainty of their own. Purdue is losing National Player of the Year Zach Edey to graduation and the NBA. Michigan lost more than 20 games, and fired their distinguished alumnus coach. Schools like Ohio State, Michigan State, Wisconsin, and others are being raided for their most gifted stars. Then there’s Indiana. Now, the Hoosiers have had upheaval too–plenty of it–but with the players Woodson has his eyes on to put this roster back together, all it should take is the right glue to hold it in place.
Rice is that glue. Videos of his play style suggest a young man who is confident, dynamic, and knows what he’s doing out there. Those are skills that translate to recruiting and building team chemistry, and while other players have been with the team longer, Rice can be the guy who gets looked to in the moments where it’s needed the most, be that as a playmaker or as an advocate for the Hoosiers. It can’t be looked at as a coincidence that, with so many potential transfers in town, Rice is the first to commit. Woodson and his staff are clearly very aware of what he has to offer, and are prepared to utilize him to his fullest potential.
National championships don’t happen overnight. They are built. Myles Rice, by all accounts, appears to be one sturdy building block.
Be sure to check in with us here at Sports Media Pass to find out who else is set to become a Hoosier, as well as all other things Indiana University, and your other favorite local teams as well! Thanks for reading!
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