Shooting comes at a premium in college basketball and 6-foot-7 and grad transfer Kaiden Rice sits third all-time in Citadel school history with 274 3-pointers made.
“I would say that I am a scorer with an emphasis on shooting the three. I have heard I play similarly to Klay Thompson because he is also a tall guard who can shoot the heck out of the ball, and also create a little as well,” Rice said.
Since putting his name in the NCAA transfer portal, Rice has been a hot commodity for schools across the country.
“I have been offered by Arizona, Butler, Duquesne, South Florida, William & Mary, UAB, Loyola-Chicago and Nevada,” Rice said, “I have heard from schools like Georgia, Southern Illinois, NC State, Kent State, CSU Bakersfield, James Madison, NC Central and Rice.”
*****
2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2023 Rankings: Top 30
*****
IN HIS OWN WORDS
Arizona: “Assistant coach David Miller is my lead recruiter. There is nothing like playing in the Pac-12. It’s one of the biggest stages that you can find, and where plenty of NBA players have sprouted from. I really like how they are telling me I would be used on the floor."
Butler: “Assistant coach Emerson Krampen is my lead recruiter. They are in the Big East, which is big-time basketball. They have some players that I have enjoyed battling against in the past and I love how I would be used in their system.”
Duquesne: “The first person to reach out to me from Duquesne was actually the head coach (Keith) Dambrot. While they are not in the Pac-12 or the Big East, the A10 is in that Power Six range, still high-level basketball. They run a system that I feel I could thrive in and they are right in the heart of Pittsburgh, with is sports central.”
South Florida: “Assistant coach (Larry) Dixon is recruiting me there. They are also in that Power Six situation being in the American Conference. You can’t live in a much better place than the palm trees and the 80-degree weather at the beach all year around. I have a great relationship with coach Dixon as he recruited me coming out of high school when he was at Georgia Southern. They also have a big emphasis on player development.”
William & Mary: “The coach recruiting me is assistant coach Mike Howland. The cool thing about this situation is that I would be able to play with my brother, Tyler Rice who will be a freshman there next season. They are looking for a 3-point scorer for their team next year so I would fit that role great.”
UAB: “Assistant coach Philip Pearson is the main recruiter for me here. They are in the Conference USA which is a pretty good conference traditionally. As soon as they called me they put a big emphasis on wanting me to come there and score the ball. Not necessarily just by the three, but in other ways as well.”
Loyola-Chicago: “Assistant coach Drew Valentine is the main one recruiting me. This team is in the Missouri Valley, which has established a huge winning tradition over the last few years. They called me right after winning a game to get to the Sweet 16, which is a huge stage to be on.”
Nevada: “Assistant coach Kory Barnett is the lead guy for me. They are in the Mountain West, which is also right there at that Power Six level and have established a winning tradition as well. They were all in from the jump and are emphasizing the kind of player I could become after playing with them.”
WHAT'S NEXT?
“I would say it’s a mix of everything, history, roster, playing time, relationship, location, level. I just have to figure out what means the most to me as I move along through this process, because at the end of the day I’m looking for the perfect fit. I have no leeway because I do only have one year let in college, so I have to get this decision right. I haven’t really come up with a time frame, I am just taking in what each school has to offer. I definitely do not want to rush this.”
