Hokies add key piece in Rodney Rice

Virginia Tech received its biggest hoops commitment in nearly a half-decade this afternoon when Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha point guard Rodney Rice pledged to the Orange and Maroon. The No. 44 player in the country trails only Nickeil Alexander-Walker (No. 32 in 2017, now with the New Orleans Pelicans) in recent Hokie history.

While he had a number of suitors, in the end it came down to Virginia Tech and Louisville for the 6-4, 185-pounder.

Not a HokieHaven.com subscriber? Join today for access to all our premium content and message board community.

Rice took an unofficial visit to Blacksburg in June, and returned Sept. 3 for his official visit. He headed to Louisville the following weekend, and the buzz in the immediate aftermath was with the Cardinals.

However, Rice's connections back to Blacksburg proved too strong to overcome. He played at Hyattsville (Md.) DeMtaha as a junior and will again as a senior - he previously attended Potomac Bullis School - and his head coach last year was new Hokies assistant Mike Jones. As the glow from his Louisville official faded, Rice realized Blacksburg is where he wanted to be.

He is the third commitment in the 2022 class, joining three-star center Patrick Kessler from Charlotte, N.C., and three-star wing MJ Collins from Spartanburg, S.C. The Hokies have one scholarship slot still open, and likely room to bring in at least two more members of the Class of 2022 with the typical expected rates of attrition.

With a talented distributor like Rice in the fold, it may very well be a little easier to reel in some high-caliber supporting talent.

Chat about this story and all things Hokies and Hokie recruiting on our premium message board, The Gobbler!