University of Illinois Springfield landed a commitment from their point guard of the future when they received a pledge from Jordan Rice. Rice is a 5’10” senior from Rock Island High School (IL) and played with the Midwest Prospect Academy. 

The commitment comes after he recently visited the Springfield campus for his official visit. The Prairie Stars had offered him this summer at the end of June. 

The first thing Rice mentioned on why he chose UIS was their coaching staff. “The coaches are super nice and they made me feel wanted at UIS. I feel like they have my best interest at heart and have confidence in my playmaking ability. I feel like I can trust them in leading me in the right direction.” Other factors Rice mentioned in making his college decision were his future teammates and the campus. He added in that he “had a blast” on both of his visits. 

Another factor in the decision was fitting in with the team at UIS. “From what I’ve seen, the coaching style would be beneficial for me and I think I could help the team have a winning season…We would have a young team the next couple of years, our team will get stronger and we should have a good feel for each other on the court.”

During his junior season, Rice averaged 13 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds per game for Rock Island. During this impressive season, he earned himself 3A third team all-state honors by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association. 

While UIS was his only scholarship offer, Rice was garnering interest from numerous colleges on multiple levels. When asked why decided to make his pick now, Rice stated “I visited UIS twice and talked to the coaches on numerous occasions so I really feel comfortable with my decision. 

Rice marks the first commitment in UIS’s 2021 recruitment class. UIS is a division two program and a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference. They finished last season with a 14-14 record.