Eli Rice Transfers to Penn State Basketball: 3 Things to Know

Rice will be coming to Penn State with 3 years of eligibility remaining.

3 Things to Know About Eli Rice

Rice has a prior relationship with Mike Rhoades and staff

While in high school, Rice re-classified from the 2022 class to the 2023 class and he was pursued heavily by then VCU head coach Mike Rhoades.

Rice ultimately ended up choosing to play at Nebraska his freshman year over VCU and Georgetown but the established relationship between Rice and Rhoades certainly didn’t hurt when Rice came looking for a new home.

Rice is projected as a 3 and D specialist

While stats on the court his freshman year were sparse (9.8 mpg in 17 games) he was utilized primarily as a 3 point specialist when he was on the court.

Out of 46 total field goal attempts, more than half were from deep where he connected at a 37% clip. At 6’8, his length also affords him the skillset to rebound and defend effectively.

In this way, he can be seen as a potential backup for projected starter Zach Hicks, who has a similar skillset.

Rice has a high upside with years of development remaining

Much like the prior two portal commitments this off-season in Nzeh and Niederhauser, Rice joins the Nittany Lions as an underclassman with additional years of eligibility remaining beyond the upcoming season.

With all of the team’s returning minutes wrapping up their eligibility after this upcoming season, it was a clear priority of Coach Mike Rhoades and his staff to bring in players from the portal with some on-court experience and years to grow to complement the incoming top 25 freshman class.

As of today, Penn State Basketball has one open scholarship remaining for the upcoming season. Current players have until April 30 to enter their name into the transfer portal should they so choose.