Why the addition of Myles Rice should significantly upgrade Indiana’s point guard play
It’s no secret Indiana’s point guard play during the 2023-24 season was underwhelming.
The Hoosiers received a major boost in April of 2023 when news broke that Xavier Johnson had been granted an additional season of eligibility via a medical hardship waiver.
Johnson, who missed 21 games during the 2022-23 season due to a broken foot he suffered in the Kansas game, was expected to be a big part of Mike Woodson’s third team in Bloomington.
However, Johnson was hit again by injuries during his third and final season of eligibility at Indiana. The Woodbridge, Virginia native missed 13 games and when he was in the lineup, his numbers were down across the board. After posting an assist rate of 36.7 in his first IU season (14th nationally) and 33.3 in his second season, Johnson’s assist rate plummeted to 19.2 percent last season. He finished the season with 56 assists to 45 turnovers (a poor 1.24-to-1 ratio), shot just 44.6 percent on 2s and a career-low 68.8 percent from the line.
Indiana’s alternative, freshman Gabe Cupps, was even less productive than Johnson. The freshman from Centerville, Ohio, had an assist rate of 9.2 percent and shot a paltry 36.7 percent on 2s. In 21.6 minutes per game, Cupps averaged just 2.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists, which made him a non-factor statistically. Cupps was playing the role he was asked to play, but it became clear as the season went along that he wasn’t ready to be a regular Big Ten starter.
Trey Galloway ultimately logged far more minutes at point guard than anticipated. The fourth-year guard delivered solid production despite being miscast in that role. Galloway’s assist rate of 28.8 percent in Big Ten games was sixth best in the conference, a notable achievement for a player who isn’t a natural point guard.
When the final buzzer sounded on Indiana’s 93-66 blowout loss to Nebraska in the Big Ten tournament in Minneapolis, the Hoosiers quickly prioritized upgrading the point guard position.
“The bottom line is we’ve got to get better,” Mike Woodson said shortly after the season-ending loss at the Target Center.
By the weekend of April 12, Indiana had one of the top available point guards in the transfer portal, Washington State’s Myles Rice, on campus for an official visit. Rice, an All-Pac 12 first-team selection as a redshirt freshman, committed to the Hoosiers on April 13 and signed on April 23.
“Myles is a savvy, downhill guard that really succeeds in pick-and-roll situations,” Woodson said when Rice’s signing was announced. “He is a three-level scorer that makes the right play consistently, whether that is getting to the rim or finding the open man. He is going to be a huge help for our ballclub, and we are very excited to welcome him and his family to Bloomington.”
Rice, a 6-foot-3 redshirt sophomore, has an inspiring story. A member of the 2021 recruiting class, Rice signed with Washington State out of Sandy Creek in Tyrone, Georgia (just outside of Atlanta). According to the 247Composite, Rice was ranked just the 227th best player in the country as a senior and the 15th best player in Georgia.
After sitting out the 2021-22 season as a redshirt, Rice was a medical redshirt during the 2022-23 season after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He received his final chemotherapy treatment on March 9, 2023, just five days before Kyle Smith and the Cougars were wrapping up a 17-17 season in Pullman.
Rice was cleared and in remission as of June 2023, which allowed him to have a full summer of preparation to prepare for his first season. While expectations inside the Washington State program may have been high for Rice, he wasn’t on any preseason lists of the nation’s top point guard entering the season. But that’s precisely what he became.
As a 21-year-old freshman for most of the season, Rice averaged 14.8 points, 3.8 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 33.2 minutes. He started all 35 games and became the third freshman in the last 20 years to score 35 points and record eight assists in a game, according to Washington State.
A deeper dive into Rice’s statistical profile reveals why he’ll be a significant upgrade for Indiana in the backcourt. Defensively, he possesses the length to be disruptive defensively. His steal percentage of 2.4 was 14th best in the Pac-12. He can pressure the ball and get into passing lanes. At 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds, he’s built well for the position.
While his assist numbers aren’t off the charts, he’s a capable distributor who led Washington State with 134 assists compared to just 90 turnovers (1.49-to-1 ratio). With plenty of scoring options around him, Rice should be able to showcase his abilities as a passer at Indiana. He’s effective in the pick-and-roll, where he can find teammates for scoring opportunities or get downhill with the ball in his hands. It won’t be an adjustment for Rice to play with two bigs as the Cougars did just that last season with Isaac Jones and Oscar Cluff.
Rice’s scoring punch will be a welcome addition to the Hoosier backcourt. After countless situations last season where the Hoosiers needed a bucket from its backcourt and couldn’t get one, they have a solution in Rice. In late-shot clock situations, having a player who can successfully break down the defense and bail out a poor offensive possession is valuable. And Rice can do that.
While his 3-point shooting numbers weren’t great – 27.5 percent on 131 attempts – he was effective in both the mid-range and at the rim. Rice had the 12th-highest usage rate of any player in the Pac-12 and shot close to 51 percent on 2s. Guard play is pivotal to success in college basketball, so the upgrade the Hoosiers will receive with Rice’s addition should be substantial.
Filed to: Myles Rice