Meet Austin Trice, the recruit who could solve Kansas State's rebounding problems
Bruce Weber has made it clear he wants to add “rebounding physicality” to Kansas State’s basketball roster next season.
That makes this weekend an important recruiting opportunity for the Wildcats, as they are set to host one of the nation’s top junior-college rebounders on an official visit.
His name is Austin Trice. He is a 6-foot-7, 230-pound sophomore forward, and he is coming off a season in which he averaged 12.6 points and 12.1 rebounds for Wabash Valley College in Mount Carmel, Ill. That type of production makes him a priority recruiting target for K-State.
“Coach Weber feels like I could be a great addition to the team and make an impact,” Trice said Wednesday in a phone interview. “Hopefully I find that out on my visit, I like the school and I click with the guys.”
The Wildcats were one of the nation’s worst rebounding teams this year, ranking last in the Big 12 in offensive rebounds (8.2) and defensive rebounds (22.5) and 340th in the country in overall boards (30.7). On average, teams out-rebounded K-State by 3.4 per game.
K-State overcame those low numbers to win 25 games and reach the Elite Eight with strong team defense and two all-conference players on offense. But Weber would rather not concede the rebounding battle against most opponents next season.
Dean Wade led the Wildcats with 6.2 rebounds this season, while Xavier Sneed averaged 5.1. No one else on the roster averaged more than 3.4.
Trice could help. He ranked fourth nationally in junior-college rebounding this season.
“I just have a nose for the ball,” Trice said. “It kind of happened this year. I felt like I needed to do something great on top of scoring and I decided to make that rebounding. I was the No. 1 rebounder in the country for a while this season. I always wanted to make sure I had a double-double this year. That was my goal for every game.”
Weber and his coaching staff have recruited Trice hard over the past month, flying to see him play before and after the Wildcats made their run in the NCAA Tournament. K-State doesn't currently have any available scholarships, but Amaad Wainright was suspended on Tuesday after being charged with two felonies and the Wildcats could lose an additional player to transfer.
Trice will arrive on campus Thursday and leave Saturday. He lists K-State as one of his six finalists, along with Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Florida and Washington State.
He has already visited Illinois and Washington and has a visit scheduled with Oklahoma next weekend, but it appears K-State will get to make the final impression before Trice chooses his transfer destination. Trice said he plans to announce his commitment on April 11, the day juco basketball players are first allowed to sign.
There is no favorite at the moment, he said, but it is clear Trice is eager to get an up-close view of K-State basketball.
“I love Coach Weber. I love the way he coaches and the way he develops players,” Trice said. “I’m a big fan of Xavier Sneed and Dean Wade. I love the tempo they play with, the way they get up and down the floor. I also love the Big 12 Conference. I’m really looking forward to seeing what Kansas State is all about.”
This story was originally published April 4, 2018 at 1:32 PM with the headline "Meet Austin Trice, the recruit who could solve Kansas State's rebounding problems."