Jabari Rice announces transfer to the Texas Longhorns
New Mexico State shooting guard Jabari Rice announced Tuesday afternoon that he is transferring to Texas.
The 6-foot-4, 180-pound shooting guard returns to his home state for a final season of college basketball after playing in high school at Fort Bend Marshall High.
Rice has gone from a high school senior with offers from New Mexico State and UMass to a two-time All-WAC selection.
Rice appeared in 111 games with 74 starts in four seasons for the Aggies. He scored 1,106 points in four seasons in Las Cruces.
Rice was named All-WAC First-Team in 2020-21 after averaging 13.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 18 games (all starts). He converted 46.9% from the field, 35.5% from three and 81.6% from the free throw line.
He followed with an All-WAC Second-team selection this season. He averaged 11.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists. He helped lead the Aggies to a Round of 64 win over No. 5 seed Connecticut.
Rice posted 29 games of 15 or more points at New Mexico State, including 12 of 20 or more.
Rice will bring much needed three-point shooting, rebounding from the guard position and added size to the backcourt.
Inside Texas takes a look at how the roster could shake out with the big decisions looming for Timmy Allen and Marcus Carr.
The roster as it stands
PF Christian Bishop, senior with four years of high-major experience
SG Jabari Rice, senior with four years of college experience
F Brock Cunningham, senior with four years of high-major experience
PF Dillon Mitchell, freshman, On3 Consensus five-star
CG Arterio Morris, freshman, On3 Consensus five-star
PG Rowan Brumbaugh, freshman, On3 Consensus four-star
Timmy Allen and Marcus Carr
Positive feelings continue around the program about the return of Allen for one more season. Allen led the Longhorns in scoring (12.1 ppg), rebounds (6.4), steals (1.2) and was second on the team in assists. He earned National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District 8 Second Team honors following the season.
Inside Texas continues to hear that Carr is giving serious thought to coming back for another season. IT is not ready to predict he is coming back, but it does remain a possibility. Part of Carr coming back would be the understanding that he wouldn’t be asked to do it all at point guard for 30 minutes per game. Having Morris and Brumbaugh would allow for Carr to be more of a scoring guard at times.
Disu’s decision remains in question
IT continues to hear Dylan Disu is not a lock to be back. There has been more positive thoughts in recent days, but not a lock. The 6-foot-9 junior didn’t have the season many anticipated after a long recovery from offseason knee surgery. The Texas staff believes Disu could take a big step to return to prior for next season, should he return.
Top targets in the portal
Louisiana Tech power forward Kenneth Lofton Jr. continues to be the top target in the transfer portal. The former state champion at Port Arthur (Texas) Memorial is seen as a difference-making paint scorer the program lacked this season. The 6-foot-7, 275-pound skilled forward with quick feet and a mid-range game averaged 16.5 points and 10.5 rebounds this season. He burst onto the national scene after leading the 2021 FIBA U19 Team USA in scoring last summer. He led a team in scoring that included Gonzaga freshman Chet Holmgren, Purdue star guard Jaden Ivey, and other NBA draft prospects.
Lofton Jr. is the cousin of former Texas and NFL running back Jamaal Charles. The Longhorns’ main competition is Houston, who covets Lofton as well.
Another big man Texas continues to have communication with is Utah Valley State transfer Fardaws Aimaq. The 6-foot-11, 245-pounder averaged 18.9 points and 13.6 rebounds per game, along with converting 43.5% of his attempts from distance. Gonzaga and Washington have been considered the favorites in recent days to land the skilled big man.
