Rodney Rice, a guard from USC, believes he can perform at an ‘All-American level’

Unexpected Discoveries About Teammates

You never quite know what interesting facts will emerge about your new teammates.

Australian forward Joshua Hughes from the University of Southern California men’s basketball team shared something surprising: he once faced off against a kangaroo.

Meanwhile, identical twins Adonis and Darius Ratliff don’t really look alike at all—Adonis sports flowing hair while Darius has opted for braids.

Then there’s senior guard Rodney Rice, who made a bold declaration that might just inject some excitement into a team that could use a boost. “I can play at the national level,” he asserted with confidence in the hallway of the Galen Center after a summer practice session.

That’s quite the claim, isn’t it?

It’s unusual to find many Americans associated with this team, almost as rare as spotting a Trojans fan who prefers blue.

Harold Minor was the last USC player to earn first-team All-American honors, way back in 1991-92. Since then, only a couple of players, Sam Clancy in 2001-02 and Evan Mobley in 2020-21, have made it to the second-team.

If Rice’s statement proves true, he could be the exception that’s needed. He definitely started the previous season off strong, averaging 20.3 points and 6.0 assists before a season-ending shoulder injury cut his time short after just six games.

There’s been quite a shift in the lineup since coach Eric Musselman brought in three freshmen and seven transfers. The current Trojans squad seems to possess more talent and depth, featuring five McDonald’s All-Americans, including the Ratliff twins, freshman forward Christian Collins, transfer center Eric Leibe, and sophomore swingman Ariya Arenas.

How will all this added talent impact Rice’s game?

“Whenever you stack talent around a scorer, it typically opens things up even more,” Musselman noted. “I hope we can create some lob threats because, frankly, last season, it seemed like the defense was overly focused on him. That should help with pick-and-roll situations.”

The addition of speedy point guard Jalen Cox from Colgate may alleviate some of Rice’s ball-handling duties.

“I want to showcase my versatility, whether I’m scoring or facilitating,” Rice explained. “I think that’s an underrated element of my game.”

However, Rice hasn’t yet been able to fully demonstrate what he’s capable of since he’s still recovering from an injury, participating only in non-contact drills during practices.

During a scrimmage on Monday, while the rest of the Trojans were on one side of the court, Rice was over on the other, sinking a series of jump shots. He’s expected to be back to full practice once the fall sessions commence.