Xander Rice Joins Bucknell Men’s Basketball Recruiting Class
4/18/2019 5:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell men's basketball coach Nathan Davis announced that guard Xander Rice, a 2019 graduate of The Patrick School in New Jersey, will be joining the Bison squad next season. Rice joins Malachi Rhodes, Alex Timmerman and Jake van der Heijden, who signed National Letters of Intent during the early signing period in November, as part of the Bucknell Class of 2023.
Rice is a 6'3", 180-pound guard from West Long Branch, N.J. He began his high school career at the legendary St. Anthony High School in Jersey City, where he played for two years and started as a sophomore for Hall-of-Fame coach Bob Hurley, averaging better than 11 points per game for a team that finished 23-6. After the school closed, Rice played at Mater Dei Prep as a junior and then most recently at The Patrick School (formerly known as St. Patrick), which has produced many future basketball stars, most notably Kyrie Irving.
"We are very excited to welcome Xander to the Bucknell basketball family," said Davis. "Xander is a point guard with great size. He can shoot with range and also create shots for himself and others. He has the athleticism to become a very good defender at the college level, and he brings a competitiveness and a toughness that you need to be successful. He also comes from a great background. Xander is a coach's son, and he has played in some high-level programs against tremendous competition."
As a junior and senior, Rice was a Second Team All-Section selection, and he scored 800 points in his three seasons of varsity basketball. Rice played in the state semifinals as a sophomore and senior, and his teams played in conference championship games in 2018 and 2019.
Rice also spent two summers with the We R 1 AAU team, and he played in two national championship tournaments.
Rice comes from an athletic family. His father, King Rice, played college basketball at North Carolina and is currently the head coach at Monmouth. His mother, Summer, played volleyball at UNC.
Bucknell finished 21-12 overall and 13-5 in the Patriot League in 2018-19. The Bison shared the Patriot League regular-season title with Colgate, giving Bucknell five straight and eight of the last night PL regular-season crowns.
Rice is a 6'3", 180-pound guard from West Long Branch, N.J. He began his high school career at the legendary St. Anthony High School in Jersey City, where he played for two years and started as a sophomore for Hall-of-Fame coach Bob Hurley, averaging better than 11 points per game for a team that finished 23-6. After the school closed, Rice played at Mater Dei Prep as a junior and then most recently at The Patrick School (formerly known as St. Patrick), which has produced many future basketball stars, most notably Kyrie Irving.
"We are very excited to welcome Xander to the Bucknell basketball family," said Davis. "Xander is a point guard with great size. He can shoot with range and also create shots for himself and others. He has the athleticism to become a very good defender at the college level, and he brings a competitiveness and a toughness that you need to be successful. He also comes from a great background. Xander is a coach's son, and he has played in some high-level programs against tremendous competition."
As a junior and senior, Rice was a Second Team All-Section selection, and he scored 800 points in his three seasons of varsity basketball. Rice played in the state semifinals as a sophomore and senior, and his teams played in conference championship games in 2018 and 2019.
Rice also spent two summers with the We R 1 AAU team, and he played in two national championship tournaments.
Rice comes from an athletic family. His father, King Rice, played college basketball at North Carolina and is currently the head coach at Monmouth. His mother, Summer, played volleyball at UNC.
Bucknell finished 21-12 overall and 13-5 in the Patriot League in 2018-19. The Bison shared the Patriot League regular-season title with Colgate, giving Bucknell five straight and eight of the last night PL regular-season crowns.
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