This weekend at the Montverde (Fla.) Invitational, one of the standouts was a prominent name on NC State basketball’s class of 2022 recruiting board: Four-star guard M.J. Rice at Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va.

The Durham, N.C., native is rated by Rivals.com as the No. 27 prospect nationally, and the network’s lead recruiting analyst, Rob Cassidy, was very impressed by Rice’s performance in Florida.

“Rice is as tough a high school prospects come and seems to thrive on contact,” Cassidy wrote. “He routinely finishes with defenders draped all over him and has a knack for getting to the line. The four-star forward shot 27 free throws in two games this weekend and scored a combined 49 points in the process. Rice, who has a knack for putting his matchups on the bench with foul trouble, is built like a brick wall and retains an incredibly quick first step for his size.”

“He finished Friday’s contest with 22 points on 6-for-9 shooting, and his trademark strength was on full display all game,” Cassidy added. “Rice absolutely thrives on physicality. He shot 14 free throws in the contest and scored a bucket in the second quarter despite a defender fully holding one of his arms.”

Further, Cassidy noted that Rice’s recruiting “has an ACC vibe.”

“Following the game, the class-of-2022 star said Duke, NC State, Pittsburgh and Louisville currently lead the way in his recruitment,” Cassidy noted.

“Rice has been on campus at both Duke and NC State and seems incredibly high on both programs. He intends to visit Louisville as soon as the pandemic-induced dead period lifts. It’s still early as it relates to the budding star’s recruitment, but the Blue Devils and Wolfpack will likely figure into the equation until he chooses a school.”

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