MJ Rice returns: Former Kansas Jayhawks guard to resume hoops career in Carolina
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- Former KU guard MJ Rice plans basketball return at Cape Fear CC in 2025.
- Rice averaged 4.1 points in nine games for NC State before redshirting in 2024.
- High school standout Rice seeks career reset after injuries and limited playtime.
Former Kansas guard MJ Rice will resume his college basketball career this school year at Cape Fear Community College in Wilmington, North Carolina, Cape Fear coach Mark Lane confirmed to The Star on Thursday.
“This is a great opportunity for MJ to rejuvenate his career and graduate from CFCC. Excited to see what his future holds,” Lane said in an email message.
College Basketball Content first reported the news Wednesday when Rice’s name appeared on the official roster on the school’s athletic department site.
Rice, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound, 22-year-old guard from Henderson, North Carolina, has three years of collegiate eligibility remaining. He started his career at KU during the 2022-23 season.
Hampered by a back injury, he averaged 2.2 points and 1.0 rebound a game in 23 games. He played 7.6 minutes per contest.
He transferred to North Carolina State where he averaged 4.1 points and 1.9 rebounds in nine games during the 2023-24 season. It was announced in January of 2024 (after playing in the nine games) Rice would sit out the remainder of the season and seek a redshirt.
On June 25, 2024, the Raleigh News and Observer reported that Rice left the program. He did not play college basketball in 2024-25.
Rice averaged 20.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists during the 2021-22 season, his senior season, at Prolific Prep in Napa, California. He was named a McDonald’s All-American but couldn’t play in that all-star game because of an injury.
He played at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia his junior season of high school, averaging 23.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists.
