Maryland men’s basketball redshirt junior Myles Rice recently chatted with PressBox about recovering from cancer during his time at Washington State, why he chose to play for Buzz Williams and more. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound guard has averaged 12.6 points and 3.3 assists per game in two seasons of college ball. Rice is a native of Atlanta and graduate of Sandy Creek High School.
PressBox: How did you first become interested in basketball?
Myles Rice: I was originally born in Columbia, S.C., and then I moved to Atlanta when I was about 4. I’ve been there since then. Playing sports growing up, I kind of did a little bit of everything. The only sport I really didn’t do was baseball. I did soccer, football and basketball. I ran track and field. I ended up just falling in love with basketball. I didn’t want to stay outside too much. It got a little too hot for me. I like my time in the gym. I’d probably say around eighth, ninth grade I started taking it seriously and figured out I could really do something with it. It’s been my journey ever since.
PB: Who was the biggest influence on your game growing up?
MR: Definitely had to be my father, [Joel]. He played ball in college. Me and him watched basketball every single day. We were talking about basketball every single day. He influenced me to be the best version of myself that I could be.
PB: When were you diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma?
MR: I was diagnosed on Sept. 12, 2022, which is my mother’s birthday. Nothing felt off. Everything felt normal. The only thing that could seem off was visually, my neck was swollen. But nothing felt out of the ordinary. I was moving good. I was still practicing 100 percent. We went and got a test done because of how irregular everything looked on my neck, not [because I felt] pain or something feels off in my body.
PB: What kind of challenges did 14 chemotherapy treatments in seven months pose?
MR: I just give all thanks to my lord and savior Jesus Christ. He presented me a different way of viewing things once I went through that, having the thing that I love to do taken away from me. But it opened my mind and my heart to knowing what my purpose is outside of basketball as well. Knowing that I could still do both now is everything that I can ask for. During that moment, I could’ve been a Debbie Downer or I could’ve made it all about myself, but I wanted to continue to be that light for everybody else. I think that’s one of my true callings here where I’m living right now, just continue to be that light. I just use basketball as a platform as well to continue to [shine] that light.
PB: What’s something someone who hasn’t been through chemotherapy wouldn’t know about how challenging the process is?
MR: The fatigue is nothing to be joked about. I probably slept like 16 hours a day the first two months of my chemotherapy. It wore my body out. I lost a lot of weight. I didn’t have a lot of energy to eat. I didn’t have a lot of energy to go to the bathroom, to shower. I was sleeping a ton. It wore on my body the first two months, but then my body kind of got used to it. It got into a routine and a rhythm of when I’m going to get my chemotherapy, how many days I’ll be down for. I’ll probably have two or three days where I can feel pretty good, then I have to go right back. My body got into a routine, almost, of when I was getting it, how I’d be down and then when I’d be feeling good.
PB: What’s a moment that really stands out from that time in your life?
MR: I would say the first time it really hit me was when we were traveling. We went from Washington State to Dallas to go play Baylor. I think two days later we left from Dallas to go to Hawaii. We were in Hawaii for like a week for the Diamond Head Classic. Going from Washington State to Dallas, Dallas to Hawaii, that wore on me a lot. I told my mom outside of the beginning, that was probably the time I felt a lot just being tired.
PB: Did you travel with the team during chemotherapy?
MR: One thousand percent. Unless they were traveling on a day I had to get chemotherapy or they were already gone a day prior to it, then that would be the only time I didn’t travel. Any other time I’d be at practice, I’d travel with them, I’m at all the games and everything.
PB: Could you do any basketball activities during that time?
MR: I wasn’t supposed to, but I would sneak in the gym and get some shots up here and there just so I could still be around the sport. I was still at practice, just helping out any way that I could. I wasn’t supposed to, but I snuck in there a couple times just to get some type of normalcy to my life.
PB: What was it like to ring the bell?
MR: It was everything. Having my family, my friends, everybody that supports me behind me in that video and seeing that amount of love that everyone was happy for me to accomplish that goal and get past that milestone. It meant everything for me. It was only the beginning. People thought that maybe it was the end, but it was only the beginning because I knew that there was a lot more work to be done not just athletically but academically, in life, in everything. It was kind of like a breath of fresh air for me. It was just honestly a new beginning.
PB: Once you could play again, was it almost as if you were restarting as an athlete?
MR: Honestly, I kind of just threw myself into the deep end. I didn’t try to ease my way back into it. I just said, “Well, now that we’re clear, we’re going to attack it like we’ve been missing out this many months. We don’t have time to slowly get into it. We’ve just got to go at it.” The conditioning part was pretty brutal. I had to get back into shape. But as far as the skill and the mental part of it, everything was crisp. It was kind of like I never left, but honestly it just took a little bit of days to iron out the rust. Everything was smooth sailing from there.
PB: What is your message to young people about not taking their health for granted?
MR: I would just say continue to take care of your health. Your health is the most important thing. Even when you think you’re fine, still double check. You never know. There’s always something that could be there. It’s better to know and not be oblivious to it. Even if there’s anything wrong with you, just know that whatever happens to you or whatever is diagnosed or whatever it may be, it’s not the end of the world. You’ll be able to get through whatever it is. But I feel like it’s very important to [not] be oblivious to health matters or whatever you feel like is going on. It’s always better to know than not to know.
PB: Why did you choose to come to Maryland?
MR: Honestly, it was because of Buzz [Williams]. Buzz is a down-to-earth, true guy. He believes in his players. He’s going to push you to be the best version of yourself, not just what you once were because whatever you were before this, he demands even more from you. He’s going to want you to be the best of what you can be to help not just you right now but you down the line in your life. That’s honestly why I chose Maryland.
PB: Williams seems to have a loyal following among players and staff. What is it about Williams that keeps everyone bought in?
MR: Just the realness of him. He’s going to demand a lot from you. He’s going to demand the best from you, but at the same time he takes care of the people that are in his circle that support him and that he supports. He’s never going to BS with you. He’s going to be straight-up with you. That’s one of the things that I love about him the most. He’s going to be real with you.
PB: How is having already played in the Big Ten at Indiana going to help your adjustment process at Maryland?
MR: I think with not only myself but Pharrel [Payne] as well, I think we have the Big Ten experience of how everything is called, how everything is officiated, the physicality of it, how teams play. I just think I can continue to give information about all of those types of things to my teammates and what to expect and just continue to be that voice in that locker room and keep everyone together.
PB: What’s your favorite thing about Maryland so far?
MR: I would just say the campus and the environment. It reminds me of Washington State a little bit, just closer to a little bit more cities. But the people here are amazing. The campus is really beautiful.
PB: Who’s your best friend on the team and what’s a story that underscores your friendship?
MR: Got to be Isaiah Watts. We went through the fire together at Washington State. If you’ve never been to Pullman, then you wouldn’t understand it. To the outsiders, it probably seems like it’s in the middle of nowhere, but once you go there and go to school there and experience everything, it’s the best place in the world, honestly. I can’t put it into words because everything that happened [in the 2023-24 season] was just overflow of what we thought could happen. Ever since he stepped foot on campus, that’s been my guy.
PB: Who did you look up to early in your college career?
MR: Two guys, for sure. One is Mike Flowers. He spent a little bit of time at Western Michigan, then he went to South Alabama, then he transferred to Washington State when I got there my freshman year. Tyrell Roberts was at the University of San Diego, then he came to Washington State and then he went to San Francisco. Those were the two guys that were kind of like my OGs when I came into my freshman year at Washington State. They kind of helped me become the player that I am today.
PB: What advice would you give to younger players looking to play in college?
MR: Trust in your work, believe in yourself and don’t let the next man outwork you.
PB: What are your goals for after basketball, whenever it ends?
MR: Just continue to be a steward for my lord and savior. Whatever he has planned for me, whatever he wants me to complete, I’m going to fulfill my purpose. I think that’s something that I’m going to do and will do. I want to open up an academy for cancer patients and special needs kids and continue to just provide them with the amenities and opportunities and everything they need to accomplish their dreams and goals. … Whatever basketball brings me in my life, I know that this is just a tool and a vessel … to create the things that impact lives in the way that I’m supposed to.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Maryland Athletics
Issue 295: October / November 2025
Originally published Oct. 15, 2025