IU men’s basketball lands big commitment

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) — The Indiana University men’s basketball team picked up a big verbal commitment Saturday afternoon.

Former Washington State guard Myles Rice announced on social media that he was committing to the Hoosiers after previously entering the transfer portal.

In his Instagram video, Rice said, “I’m Myles Rice from Atlanta, Georgia. And I am an Indiana Hoosier.”

Rice was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year this past season. He averaged 14.8 points per game while dishing out 3.8 assists per game and hauling in 3.1 rebounds per game.

His points per game average (14.8) was second-most on the team, only behind Isaac Jones, who averaged 15.3 points per game.

Rice was also named to the All-Pac-12 First Team and the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team.

He started all 35 games for Washington State this season.

It was Rice’s first season back since being forced to miss the 2022-23 season while receiving treatment for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He received his last chemotherapy treatment on March 9, 2023.

Rice scored in double digits 27 times this past season, including when he scored a season-high 35 points in a win at Stanford in January. The 35-point performance was also a Washington State single-game freshman record.

He used his redshirt option during his first season (2021-22) at Washington State.

This past season, the Cougars earned a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They would lose in the second round of the tournament to No. 2-seeded Iowa State. Rice scored 13 points in the loss.

The Cougars finished the year with a 25-10 overall record.

IU will be working this offseason on getting back to the NCAA Tournament. The Hoosiers failed to make the Big Dance after finishing the season with a 19-14 overall record.

“We’ve just got a lot of work to do this summer to get back and get our team back on top,” IU head coach Mike Woodson said after the Hoosiers’ final loss of the season in the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Tournament.