M. J. Rice

Marquise Jacari Rice (born February 5, 2003) is an American college basketball player for the NC State Wolfpack of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). He previously played for the Kansas Jayhawks.

Early life and high school career
Rice grew up in Henderson, North Carolina and initially attended Durham Academy. He tore his ACL as a sophomore. Rice transferred to Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia after his sophomore year. He averaged 19.6 points per game at Oak Hill as a junior before transferring to Prolific Prep in Napa, California before the start of his senior year. Rice averaged 20.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game during his senior season. He was selected to play in the 2022 McDonald's All-American Boys Game during the season.

Recruiting
Rice was considered a five-star recruit by Rivals, and a four-star recruit by ESPN and 247Sports. On August 10, 2021, he committed to playing college basketball for Kansas over offers from Pittsburgh, Oklahoma State, and NC State. Rice also considered playing professionally in the NBA G League.

College career
Rice enrolled at Kansas shortly after graduating high school and took part in the Jayhawks' summer practices. He entered his freshman season as a reserve shooting guard. Rice made his college debut in the second game of the season against North Dakota State, scoring 10 points on 5-of-10 shooting in a 82–59 win. Rice missed several games in December 2022 and January 2023 due to back spasms. He played in 23 of Kansas' 36 games during his freshman season and averaged 7.6 minutes of play with 2.2 points and one rebound per game. After the season, Rice entered the NCAA transfer portal.

Rice ultimately transferred to NC State.