Marquise Jacari Rice (born February 5, 2003)[1] is an American basketball player. He has played for the Kansas Jayhawks and the NC State Wolfpack.

M. J. Rice
Personal information
Born (2003-02-05) February 5, 2003 (age 21)
Henderson, North Carolina, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school
College
PositionShooting guard
Career highlights and awards

Early life and high school career

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Rice grew up in Henderson, North Carolina and initially attended Durham Academy.[2] He tore his ACL as a sophomore.[3] Rice transferred to Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia after his sophomore year.[4] He averaged 19.6 points per game at Oak Hill as a junior before transferring to Prolific Prep in Napa, California before the start of his senior year.[5] Rice averaged 20.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game during his senior season.[6] He was selected to play in the 2022 McDonald's All-American Boys Game during the season.[7]

Recruiting

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Rice was considered a five-star recruit by Rivals, and a four-star recruit by ESPN and 247Sports.[8] On August 10, 2021, he committed to playing college basketball for Kansas over offers from Pittsburgh, Oklahoma State, and NC State.[9] Rice also considered playing professionally in the NBA G League.[10]

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
M. J. Rice
SF
Henderson, NC Prolific Prep (CA) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Aug 10, 2021 
Star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 89
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 29  247Sports: 37  ESPN: 33
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Kansas 2022 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  • "2022 Kansas Jayhawks Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  • "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 11, 2023.

College career

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Rice enrolled at Kansas shortly after graduating high school and took part in the Jayhawks' summer practices.[11] He entered his freshman season as a reserve shooting guard.[12] Rice made his college debut in the second game of the season against North Dakota State, scoring 10 points on 5-of-10 shooting in a 82–59 win.[13] Rice missed several games in December 2022 and January 2023 due to back spasms.[14][15] He played in 23 of Kansas' 36 games during his freshman season and averaged 7.6 minutes of play with 2.2 points and one rebound per game. After the season, Rice entered the NCAA transfer portal.[16]

Rice ultimately transferred to NC State.[17] After playing in nine games, he announced that he would sit out the rest of the season and utilize a redshirt.[18] Rice later left the program.[19]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022–23 Kansas 23 0 7.6 .408 .200 .667 1.0 .2 .3 .1 2.2

References

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  1. ^ "MJ Rice Player Profile, Kansas - RealGM". basketball.realgm.com. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  2. ^ Wildeboor, Shay (August 8, 2021). "Decision Coming For Elite SF M.J. Rice". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  3. ^ Jordan, Jason (January 14, 2020). "Five-Star Shooting Guard M.J. Rice Tears ACL". SI.com. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  4. ^ Armstrong, Megan (May 12, 2020). "5-Star SF Prospect MJ Rice Transferring to Oak Hill Academy, Joins Dior Johnson". Bleacher Report. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  5. ^ Jordan, Jason (June 1, 2021). "Elite 2022 SG MJ Rice Will Transfer to Prolific Prep". SI.com. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  6. ^ "MJ Rice planning to break out with KU basketball in New Year". The Kansas City Star. December 24, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  7. ^ "Kansas basketball's MJ Rice eager for freshman season with Jayhawks". The Topeka Capital-Journal. June 20, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  8. ^ Jenkins, Brandon (July 10, 2021). "Adidas 3SSB Birmingham: Five-star forward MJ Rice shines on day two". 247Sports. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  9. ^ "Five-star 2022 basketball prospect M.J. Rice commits to Kansas Jayhawks". ESPN.com. August 10, 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  10. ^ "Basketball recruiting: MJ Rice chooses Kansas Jayhawks". The Kansas City Star. August 10, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  11. ^ "Kansas Jayhawks' freshman MJ Rice fares well in scrimmage". The Kansas City Star. June 8, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  12. ^ "MJ Rice emerging for KU: What is the Jayhawks' new outlook?". The Kansas City Star. February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  13. ^ "MJ Rice's debut signals value of this Kansas men's basketball freshman". The Topeka Capital-Journal. November 11, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  14. ^ "KU basketball's MJ Rice makes splash ... despite early season injury, ailment and illness". The Kansas City Star. November 28, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  15. ^ "KU Jayhawks: Bill Self gives update on MJ Rice, Ernest Udeh". The Kansas City Star. January 20, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  16. ^ "Kansas men's basketball guard MJ Rice has entered the transfer portal". The Topeka Capital-Journal. March 29, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  17. ^ "NC State basketball portal haul continues as Kansas transfer is joining Wolfpack". The News & Observer. April 19, 2023. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  18. ^ Smith, R. Cory (January 24, 2024). "BREAKING: NC State guard MJ Rice will sit out remainder of the season, seek redshirt". 247Sports.com. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  19. ^ "Two NC State basketball players no longer with program". The News & Observer. June 25, 2024. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
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