Myles Rice on why Maryland, how transfer process played out, 2025-26 role and expectations

Former Washington State and Indiana guard Myles Rice became the first non-Aggie to announce his transfer to play at Maryland under first year head coach Buzz Williams, giving the Terps their new lead guard to replace Ja’Kobi Gillespie.

Rice, a former freshman All-American and All-Pac 12 selection, broke down his transfer to Maryland, his expected role, how the portal process plays out, relationships with his new teammates and plenty more on GCR:

Whether Rice expected to play at a school he once played against months ago

“I wouldn't have believed you because I was so focused on getting that win against Maryland and everybody else in the Big Ten. But I mean, since I've been here, I kind of like everything that Maryland's about. The campus is beautiful. The people out here are amazing and I'm happy that I'm wearing this red now.”

How the portal process with Maryland played out

“Honestly, coach Buzz and the staff is just a staff that believes in me. They’re going to put me in the best situation to thrive, not only as a basketball player, but as a man and as a man of faith as well. And I think those are the things that I kind of hang my hat on. It's just growing, not only just within my sport, but as an individual as well. And I just think they put that belief and faith in everybody into the team, and that goes hand-in-hand with the people out here. Since I came here on the visit, the people out here, the weather out here, then the entire city is just something to fall in love with. And I'm just happy that I'm Maryland Terrapin now.”

On whether the chance to team up with Isaiah Watts at Maryland played a factor

“No. Once I committed, the coaches, they kind of gave me a list of guys they wanted to kind of go after a little bit and they knew I had some familiarity with Isaiah playing with him and knowing what he could bring to the table. They asked me what I think and I gave him the real – I told him, I think he can help us out. And so I was definitely in his ear a little bit trying to get him to come here. And I'm just happy that we [were] able to pull it off, and happy that he's here at Maryland now.”

On Myles Rice’s expected role under Buzz Williams

“I definitely think, with even playing point guard, regardless, you're an extension of the head coach. So you're automatically going to be put in a position to lead others and not only just lead them, to lead yourself as well, hold yourself to a certain standard to be great every single day, night in and night out. And that's just the type of person I am, and that's type of player that I am. I'm a guard that leads, not necessarily just on the offensive end or defensive end, but just in the whole game. And I think that's what coach Buzz wants me to do. I think that's what entire coaching staff want me to do. And I believe that my teammates there, they're going to allow me to do that as well. So just being that leader and that voice and that extension of Buzz Williams is all that I can really put out there, and that's what you're going to get me to do.”

Whether it’s difficult to be an extension of a new head coach

“No I think it just presents the challenge of us having to get tighter and closer just as well as everybody else who might just have everybody who's been there since their freshman year. It gives us a time to really bond in the summer, to really get to know one another, and I think the things that we do in the summertime to get familiar with one another will help us down the line when we're trying to play in March.”

On Rice’s relationship with Buzz Williams

“Growing up, I watched a couple, I watched college basketball. So I knew about his time at Marquette, his time at Virginia Tech, but he recruited me pretty good before I made my decision to go to Indiana. So once I made the decision to leave Indiana, this staff was the first one to come back, reaching out to me and everything that I fell in love with them the first time was made a hard decision for me came pretty easy this time, because I knew that they were going to have my best interests, and I'm grateful that they came back around and wanted me to still be a part of their program. And I think we're going to flourish and do the things that we need to do here.”

On his battle with lymphoma

“I believe it just changed my mindset. I appreciate every little thing that comes my way whether it’s on the court or off the court. Just going through the experience with the little things, I mean, having my family behind me and making them proud and making my lord and savior Jesus Christ proud is all that I really try to go do. I’m not going out here to prove anybody wrong, prove anybody right. I’m just going out there and playing for the simple love of the game and making the ones that support me happy and that’s all I can ask for.”

On his message to his teammates

“Well, not necessarily in that sense, but just reminding them that basketball is a game and you're supposed to have fun with it. So whenever you're experiencing hard times and part of the process, that’s what life is through ups and downs but you got to stay mellow. You gotta stay in the middle of it, and can't get too high or too low, and just accept it for what it is. Whether it's a good problem or a bad problem, you have to adjust no matter what. And I think the biggest thing for me that I always try to just remind guys, like I said, it's a game. We're meant to have fun so let's go out there and just have fun and don't worry about the outcome, and just do everything we need to do on the right side of the other spectrum and everything will take care of itself.”

On his expectations for 2025-26

“I feel like every athlete or every competitor wants to win no matter what, no matter what, given the circumstances. And there's been teams that have been jelled together for a long time that haven't won, and there's been teams who just got put together last year, and they won big. So I think it's all about the buy-in and giving yourself up to not only the coaching staff, but how we want to do things, and how we can help each other, individually and collectively to do what we need to do, which is ultimately win and win at a high level.”

On his ties to Maryland, the area

“One of my good friends, he's from the DMV, someone I went to high school with and I have an auntie that stays in Philadelphia. But other than that, I don't think it's too many people out here. I think the closest is probably North Carolina, maybe Virginia.”

“They would make the travel regardless, though, just because, like I said, that’s the support system that I have, the type of love to my family, we pour into each other. So, I mean, it definitely helps that now it's more of like a maybe three, four-hour drive versus eight or nine.”

On his on-court fit under Buzz

“I think I’ll just be in a position to be as a lead guard, be aggressive and not just whether it’s passing or scoring, just go out there and make the right play. I think that’s when basketball is thriving, when you’re not being passive and you’re looking to put the pressure on somebody. I think I’ve had the tale of two ends and I’ve learned how to be very passive and very score-first, but now I think this will be the beautiful combination of putting everything together and giving a nice daily dosage of either one. If you want to take one thing away, I can do that and vice versa. So I think it just puts me in a position for, like I said, create for my teammates and be aggressive for them and be aggressive for myself.”

On his relationships with his new teammates

“Well, me and Pharrel Payne, we was on our visit at the same time at Indiana. And then me and Solomon Washington, we played against each other, I want to say my last summer at AAU up in Rock Hill. It was Atlanta Celtics versus Team Thad and that's where I remember him from. And then, crazy enough, my freshman year we kind of, we played against Buzz and them when he was at A&M in the Final Four in the NIT up in Madison Square Garden. So the ties, I have always been there in some type of way. So it's beautiful to see everything come together.”

On how to gel with his new teammates

“I believe it's just showing that you actually want to get to know the person like outside of just their sport and just understand who that person is. I think that there's nothing more beautiful than that, to have a teammate and a friend and somebody in the world who actually wants to get to know you for you and the things that – you've been through good or bad and not trying to use them against you in any kind of way, but just for an understanding purposes. And I think that's what the coaching staff puts into us, that we put into them, and we put into each other all around the staff. So it's gonna take time. Of course, it's not just gonna be day one or day two. It should take an entire summer and entire offseason, and maybe even a little part of the non-conference as well. So just trying to get as much of comfortability and familiarity we can with one another because we all come from different places. As authentic and genuine as possible will be the biggest step.”

On what’s important to Myles Rice in life

“Just making my family proud. That's the most important thing. They've been behind me since day one, since I could even before I even picked up a basketball. They put me in positions to thrive. They put me in positions to sometimes it wasn't I thought was the best situation for me, but it ended up being a really good situation for me. And so just having them behind me and just doing everything I can for them and the ones that support me is the thing that makes me keep going each and every day. Truthfully.”

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