NC State basketball portal haul continues as Kansas transfer is joining Wolfpack

For the third day in a row, N.C. State basketball added a new player via the NCAA transfer portal and this one could be the best yet.

On Wednesday morning, the Wolfpack’s week got even better when guard M.J. Rice, a McDonald’s All-American who played at Kansas last season, announced via social media he’ll play for Kevin Keatts at N.C. State next season.

A Henderson native, the 6-5 Rice returns to his home state with three seasons of eligibility remaining.

Last season at Kansas, Rice endured a season interrupted by injury and illness. He played in 23 games, averaging just 7.6 minutes per game while dealing with back spasms, kidney stones and COVID-19, according to the Kansas City Star.

He scored a season-high 19 against Texas Southern on Nov. 28 and had 10 points and four rebounds in a game against North Dakota State on Nov. 10.

Rice began his high school career at Durham Academy before transferring to Oak Hill (Va.) and finishing his prep career at Prolific Prep in Napa, California. Rivals.com rated him the No. 28 player in the 2022 recruiting class.

He joins 6-1 guard D.J. Horne and 6-10 cener Ben Middlebrooks as players picking N.C. State for their new college home this week. Horne announced his plans to transfer from Arizona State to N.C. State on Monday while Middlebrooks said on Tuesday he’ll join the Wolfpack after playing in the ACC at Clemson last season.

A four transfer, 6-4 guard Jayden Taylor, announced last week he’s coming to N.C. State after playing at Butler last season.