PULLMAN, Wash. — Washington State University’s standout freshman guard Myles Rice has announced that he plans to enter the transfer portal. Rice’s decision comes days after former WSU head coach Kyle Smith announced he is taking a job at Stanford.
Rice was WSU’s second leading scorer this season averaging just under 15 points per game. He led the Cougs in assists and steals during last season.
Rice earned several honors this season including Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, All Pac-12 Team and Pac-12 All Freshman Team.
2024 was Rice’s first full season back in college basketball after he missed the 2022-2023 team fighting cancer.
Rice stepped foot on campus in the summer of 2021 and had to battle with Michael Flowers, Noah Williams and Tyrell Roberts for playing time. After a strong competition, WSU head coach Kyle Smith decided to roll with his veteran players and redshirt Rice.
"We had a couple of older guys that were good and you could tell that Myles's talent was on par, he was just younger and I did not know if he was mature enough to lead a veteran group of guys and now we will never know because we did not let him. Now I am like, maybe we should have," Smith mused.
Rice took that year as an opportunity to learn and grow his game and was ready to accept an important role on the 2022-2023 edition of the Cougs, but on September 12, 2022, everything changed.
Rice went to the doctor to get a lump in his neck checked out and was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. He had to relay that horrible news to his mother, Tamara, on her birthday.
"Having to break that news to her was probably the hardest thing I have ever had to do, but she stayed strong for me and let me know that everything was going to be okay. My parents being my rock through my chemotherapy journey was everything I could have asked for," Rice said.
After losing another year battling cancer, Rice was declared cancer free on March 9, 2023. Then the process began to build back his strength to return to the sport he loves.
WATCH RELATED: Myles Rice: The heart and soul of WSU men's basketball