Washington State pulls in high-level PG from Georgia

Washington State’s men’s basketball team is off to another favorable start in recruiting after pulling in arguably the program’s best class of all time.

The Cougs received their first verbal commit from a 2021 high school graduate when budding Georgia point guard Myles Rice announced his decision on Twitter this past weekend.

The 6-foot-2, 175-pounder is a high-level three-star recruit (89.32), per 247Sports.com’s rankings. He boasts a smooth jumper and polished handles, and overall, is skilled and sizable enough to meet second-year WSU coach Kyle Smith’s recruiting preference: versatility.

“Rice is a really skilled lead guard with a really good feel for the game,” wrote Rivals, a site specializing in recruiting analysis. “He’s equally adept at creating his own offense as he is at creating for others.”

The senior at Sandy Creek (Tyrone, Ga.) has been rated by multiple prep analysts as a top-50 senior point guard in the country, and a top-15 college basketball prospect in Georgia. As of now, he’s the Cougars’ No. 12-rated recruit ever, per 247Sports.com.

But Wazzu was his only offer from a Power Six conference. Other Division I suitors included East Carolina, Belmont, Bucknell, Siena, Middle Tennessee State, Georgia State, Drexel, Hofstra, Iona, Pacific and James Madison. Rice told Hoopseen.com that Virginia Tech also showed interest.

“It was the best situation for me because their academics are really good and a degree from there looks really good,” Rice told Rivals of his decision to commit to WSU. “They are also in the Pac-12, so that means I’ll be playing against great competition night in and night out, and I will be able to have a great impact my freshman year.”

Rice, from Tyrone, Ga. — just outside Atlanta — averaged 19.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and four assists per game as a junior at Eastside High School in Covington. He transferred to Sandy Creek for his senior year after a second summer boosting his exposure with the highly-regarded Atlanta Celtics AAU team, which featured five-star prospects Jabari Smith and Matthew Cleveland.

Rice will be joining Smith — a 6-10 post and Auburn commit — for title-hungry Sandy Creek.

Smith’s Cougars recently welcomed the nation’s No. 33 recruiting class, which boasts five top-20 all-time signees. Wazzu’s season is planned to begin on Nov. 25 against Texas Southern at Beasley Coliseum.

Clark may be reached at cclark@lmtribune.com, on Twitter @ClarkTrib or by phone at (208) 848-2260.