No shot at:
Rice was a revelation for the Cougars as a freshman, but he entered the transfer portal with Kyle Smith taking the vacant head coaching position at Stanford. While Arizona should make a pass at Rice and do their due diligence, don't plan on him suiting up for the Wildcats.
Some things are bigger than basketball, and Rice's story is a special case. After redshirting his true freshman season in 2021-22, Rice was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma and underwent treatment during the 2022-23 season. He was justly granted a medical redshirt for the year, and he was finally cleared and in remission in early March of 2023. Rice was finally able to play his freshman season in Pullman in the 2023-24 season and started every single game while being one of the team leaders.
During his whole treatment, Rice was still on the Washington State roster. With how much grace Smith and the coaching staff showed him, I find it hard to believe that Rice lands anywhere except for Stanford. Truthfully? It's for the best; I love the idea of Rice blossoming into an all-conference or NBA-caliber player under the coach who never gave up on him at one of the best educational institutions in the world.
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