It’s no secret Indiana’s level guard play in the course of the 2023-24 season was underwhelming.
The Hoosiers obtained a significant increase in April of 2023 when information broke that Xavier Johnson had been granted a further season of eligibility through a medical hardship waiver.
Johnson, who missed 21 video games in the course of the 2022-23 season attributable to a damaged foot he suffered within the Kansas recreation, was anticipated to be a giant a part of Mike Woodson’s third workforce in Bloomington.
Nonetheless, Johnson was hit once more by accidents throughout his third and remaining season of eligibility at Indiana. The Woodbridge, Virginia native missed 13 video games and when he was within the lineup, his numbers have been down throughout the board. After posting an help fee of 36.7 in his first IU season (14th nationally) and 33.3 in his second season, Johnson’s help fee plummeted to 19.2 p.c final season. He completed the season with 56 assists to 45 turnovers (a poor 1.24-to-1 ratio), shot simply 44.6 p.c on 2s and a career-low 68.8 p.c from the road.
Indiana’s different, freshman Gabe Cupps, was even much less productive than Johnson. The freshman from Centerville, Ohio, had an help fee of 9.2 p.c and shot a paltry 36.7 p.c on 2s. In 21.6 minutes per recreation, Cupps averaged simply 2.6 factors, 1.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists, which made him a non-factor statistically. Cupps was taking part in the position he was requested to play, nevertheless it grew to become clear because the season went alongside that he wasn’t able to be an everyday Huge Ten starter.
Trey Galloway in the end logged much more minutes at level guard than anticipated. The fourth-year guard delivered stable manufacturing regardless of being miscast in that position. Galloway’s help fee of 28.8 p.c in Huge Ten video games was sixth finest within the convention, a notable achievement for a participant who isn’t a pure level guard.
When the ultimate buzzer sounded on Indiana’s 93-66 blowout loss to Nebraska within the Huge Ten event in Minneapolis, the Hoosiers rapidly prioritized upgrading the purpose guard place.
“The underside line is we’ve acquired to get higher,” Mike Woodson stated shortly after the season-ending loss on the Goal Heart.
By the weekend of April 12, Indiana had one of many prime obtainable level guards within the switch portal, Washington State’s Myles Rice, on campus for an official go to. Rice, an All-Pac 12 first-team choice as a redshirt freshman, dedicated to the Hoosiers on April 13 and signed on April 23.
“Myles is a savvy, downhill guard that basically succeeds in pick-and-roll conditions,” Woodson stated when Rice’s signing was introduced. “He’s a three-level scorer that makes the precise play persistently, whether or not that’s attending to the rim or discovering the open man. He’s going to be an enormous assist for our ballclub, and we’re very excited to welcome him and his household 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 (simply exterior of Atlanta). In keeping with the 247Composite, Rice was ranked simply the 227th finest participant within the nation as a senior and the fifteenth finest participant in Georgia.
After sitting out the 2021-22 season as a redshirt, Rice was a medical redshirt in the course of the 2022-23 season after being recognized with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He obtained his remaining chemotherapy remedy on March 9, 2023, simply 5 days earlier than Kyle Smith and the Cougars have been 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 time of preparation to arrange for his first season. Whereas expectations contained in the Washington State program might have been excessive for Rice, he wasn’t on any preseason lists of the nation’s prime level guard coming into the season. However that’s exactly what he grew to become.
As a 21-year-old freshman for a lot of the season, Rice averaged 14.8 factors, 3.8 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 33.2 minutes. He began all 35 video games and have become the third freshman within the final 20 years to attain 35 factors and report eight assists in a recreation, in accordance with Washington State.
A deeper dive into Rice’s statistical profile reveals why he’ll be a big improve for Indiana within the backcourt. Defensively, he possesses the size to be disruptive defensively. His steal proportion of two.4 was 14th finest within the Pac-12. He can strain the ball and get into passing lanes. At 6-foot-3 and 180 kilos, he’s constructed properly for the place.
Whereas his help numbers aren’t off the charts, he’s a succesful distributor who led Washington State with 134 assists in comparison with simply 90 turnovers (1.49-to-1 ratio). With loads of scoring choices round him, Rice ought to have the ability to showcase his skills as a passer at Indiana. He’s efficient within the pick-and-roll, the place he can discover teammates for scoring alternatives or get downhill with the ball in his fingers. It gained’t be an adjustment for Rice to play with two bigs because the Cougars did simply that final season with Isaac Jones and Oscar Cluff.
Rice’s scoring punch might be a welcome addition to the Hoosier backcourt. After numerous conditions final season the place the Hoosiers wanted a bucket from its backcourt and couldn’t get one, they’ve an answer in Rice. In late-shot clock conditions, having a participant who can efficiently break down the protection and bail out a poor offensive possession is effective. And Rice can try this.
Whereas his 3-point taking pictures numbers weren’t nice – 27.5 p.c on 131 makes an attempt – he was efficient in each the mid-range and on the rim. Rice had the Twelfth-highest utilization fee of any participant within the Pac-12 and shot near 51 p.c on 2s. Guard play is pivotal to success in school basketball, so the improve the Hoosiers will obtain with Rice’s addition must be substantial.
Filed to: Myles Rice
