The rest of the 2024–25 season will be missed by one of Penn State’s important transfers.
Coach Mike Rhoades said Friday that guard Eli Rice, who transferred from Nebraska to the Nittany Lions this season, will miss the remainder of the season due to an unspecified ailment. Since the beginning of the season, Rice has struggled with injuries, appearing in just one game, scoring zero points in seven minutes of action.
Rhoades went on to say that he spent the last weekend meeting with Rice’s parents to discuss the next stages in his recuperation.
According to Rhoades, Eli’s health, wellbeing, and safety are my top priorities. He is essential to our efforts to develop this program properly, and we will see to it that he receives full credit. He will play a significant role in advancing this situation.
During his rookie season at Nebraska, Rice played in 17 games, averaging 9.8 minutes per game and shooting 37% from three-point range. Rice’s 6-8 size raised some expectations that he may contribute significantly to Rhoades’ aggressive defensive style of play, but those dreams will now have to wait another year.
Rice, a native of Gallatin, Tennessee, attended IMG Academy in Florida for his high school basketball career. When he signed with the Cornhuskers, he was ranked as the 19th best player in the state and a three-star recruit.
You deal with things like this all the time as a coach, coaching staff, and program. This is not the first instance. “It’s not the last,” Rhoades continued. As a parent and coach, I can attest that it is heartbreaking to watch a child put in so much effort to try to reunite with his teammates, only to have that attempt fail. He is distraught, as are his teammates, his family, and ourselves. However, the most important thing that I will always take pride in and perform correctly is that we will always prioritize the player’s health and safety.
After a close loss to Clemson on Tuesday, Penn State is now 6-1 on the season. The previous 6-0 start was the best the Nittany Lions have had in 25 years, with Penn State scoring 80 points or more in each game. Penn State will play Buffalo at home on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. to continue Year 2 under Rhoades.
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Max Ralph
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