At Miami
Returning starter at small forward…one of 30 preseason candidates for the John Wooden National Player of the Year Award…an explosive offensive player who is on of the BIG EAST’s top three-point shooters…runs the floor extremely well and is a good ball handler…will contend for All-Conference and All-America honors this season…in the spring of 2000 became the third McDonald’s All –American to sign with the University of Miami joining Tito Horford (1985) and Steven Edwards (1992)…selected Miami over a number of schools including Kentucky, Memphis, Mississippi State and Arkansas.
As A Junior (2002-03)
Played in 27 games making 25 starts…averaging a team-high 18.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.4 steals…tied for eigth on UM’s career scoring list with 1,393 points…mid-seaso candidate for the Wooden Award…preseason candidate for the Naismith Award…first-team All-District selection…ranked among the BIG EAST leaders in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, 3-point field goal percentage and 3-point field goals made…four times during the season he hit a three-pointer at the end of regulation to either win the game or send it to overtime…named BIG EASt Player of the Week on January 27. In the Regular Season: Scored 32 points against Florida (12-21-02) becoming the 26th player in UM history to surpass 1,000 career points…played a career-high 46 minutes against No. 13 Florida (12-21-02) recording 32 points, five rebounds, four assists and six steals…was 10-21 from the field, including 5-11 from three-point range and 7-9 from the line…set season-highs in nine different categories…led Miami with 28 points ans seven rebounds against No. 3 Connecticut (1-20-03) including a steal and three-point basket with under one second remaining to give Miami a 77-76 win…the 43 points were the fourth highest single-game total in BIG EAST history…was 16-27 from the field, 7-12 from thee-point range, and 4-4 from the line…also had a team-high six rebounds, two blicks and three steals…finished with 26 points, 21 in the second half against Providence (1-29-03)…was 9-15 from the field, 5-9 from three-point range, and 3-3 from the line…recorded a double-double with 32 points and 10 rebounds against Virginia Tech (2-11-03)…was 11-18 from the field, 5-10 from three-point range, and 5-5 from the line…had a team-high 26 points against St. John’s (3-8-03)…was 8-18 from the field, including 5-12 from the three-point ranfe, and 5-6 from the line. In the BIG EAST Tournament: Had 11 points and five rebounds against Seton Hall (3-12-03).
As a Sophomore (2001-02)
Second-team All-BIG EAST Selection…2001-02 first-team NABC All-District 6 Selection…started 31 of 32 games at small forward averaging 14.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game…led team in scoring for the second consecutive season and ranked third in rebounding…recorded 20 or more points a team-high 10 times, including three 30-point games…became the first Hurricane since Eric Brown in 1989 to record back-to-back games of 30 points or more…Named BIG EAST Co-Player of the Week for week ending January 27…named to the All-Tournament team at the Virgin Islands Paradise Jam after averaging 15.7 points and 8.0 rebounds in three game. In the Regular Season: Recorded 21 points and nine rebounds in the Hurricanes’ season-opener against Eastern Michigan (11-18-01)…poured in 22 points and pulled down seven rebounds against Alabama-Birmingham (11-19-01)…recorded a season-high 24 points against Florida A&M (12-18-01)… was 8-14 from the field including 6-10 from three-point range…also registered five rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal…recorded a game-high 22 points to go with six rebounds and two steals against Connecticut (1-5-02)…scored a UM season high 32 points, 20 in the first half, to go with six rebounds, two assists, one block and a career-high six steals against Providence (1-19-02)…was 13-17 from the field (both career highs), and 6-8 from three-point range…recorded second straight 30-point game against Villanova (1-24-02)…had 30 points, 10 rebounds, one assists and one steal…was 10-15 from the field, including 4-6 from three-point range, and 6-9 from the line…registered seven points, three assists, three steals and one block against Boston College (2-10-02)…had a team-high 21 points to go with six rebounds, one assist and one steal against Rutgers (2-17-02)…had a team-high 23 points, 20 in the second half, four rebounds, two assists, one block and three steals against Notre Dame (2-23-02)…was 8-17 from the field, 6-12 from three-point range, and 1-2 from the line…recorded second double-double of the season with 30 points and 10 rebounds against Providence (2-26-02)…was 10-17 from the field, including 1-6 from three-point range, and 9-9 from the line. In the BIG EAST Tournament: Started both games averaging 9.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game…recorded 18 points and six rebounds in 41 minutes against Georgetown (3-7-02)…did not score but registered three steals against Pittsburgh (3-8-02). In the NCAA Tournament: Tied for team-high honors with 17 points against Missouri (3-14-02)…also pulled down five rebounds and handed out two assists in 32 minutes. Registered one block and one steal.
As a Freshman (2000-01)
Started all 29 games at small forward averaging 14.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game…ranked first on the team in scoring and was third in rebounding and fourth in steals (31) scored in double-figures 20 times and led or tied for a team lead in scoring 10 times…set UM freshman single-game record for points (35), three-point field goals (7) and 30-point games (2)…recorded a team-high 62 three-point field goals…2000-01 BIG EAST All-Rookie selection…invited to participate at the 2001 USA Basketball National Team Trials. In the Regular Season: Made collegiate debut Florida Atlantic (11-18-00) and recorded a team-high 26 points to go with three rebounds, three steals and two blocks…was 8-13 from the floor including 5-9 from three-point range and 5-6 from the line… the 26 points were the most by a freshman in a season opener…reorded first career double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds against Northeastern (11-25-00)…also registered one assist, one block and two steals in 29 minutes…scored a UM freshman record 35 points against Central Florida (12-9-00) shot 11-19 from the field, including 6-9 from three-point range, and 7-8 from the line…registered 31 points and a team-high eight rebounds against Virginia Tech (1-10-01)…was 11-23 from the field, including 7-15 from three-point range, and 2-4 fro the line…his seven three-point field goals established a UM freshman record…played a career-high 37 minutes against Boston College (1-13-01) totaling 17 points, four rebounds, two blocks and one steal…recorded 19 points, three rebounds, two assists and one block against Providence (1-16-01)…played 43 minutes against St. John’s and recorded a game0high 22 points…also recorded seven rebounds…was 6-14 from the field, including 4-6 from three-point range, and 6-7 from the line…posted 10 points, seven rebounds, two blocks, two steals and a career-high six assists against No. 22 Seton Hall (2-1-01)…recorded a game-high 28 points (10-16 FG, 5-6 FT), six rebounds and two steals against Villanova (2-17-01). In the BIG EAST Tournament: Played 26 minutes against Pittsburgh (3-7-01) in the first round of the BIG EAST Tournament and recorded five points, one rebound, two assists and one block. In the National Invitation Tournament: Recorded 14 points, four rebounds and three assists against Auburn in the opening round of the NIT.
High School: Lanier…1999-00 McDonald’s and Parade All-America selection…USA Today Super 25 selection…averaged 25.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 2.1 blocks per game as a senior…shot 56 percent from the field, including 40 percent from three-point range, and 85 percent from the line…1999-2000 Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year…played for the East squad at the 2000 McDonald’s All-America game in Boston, Mass… scored a team-high 24 points, including 20 in the opening half, connecting on 9-18 from the field including 4-8 from three-point range…led Lanier High School to a 31-7 record and a runner-up finish in the Mississippi High School Class 4A Tournament his senior season…two-time first-team All-State, All-City, All-District and All-Metro by the Jackson Clarion-Ledger…averaged 22 points and 7.8 rebounds per game as a junior in leading Lanier to a 36-3 record and the class 5A Championship…also won state championships as a freshman…a standout in the classroom where he was a member of the National Honors Society with a 3.9 GPA…received the Lanier High School Science and Mathematics Award and was named the recipient of the Kodak National Leadership Award as a senior…was also a member of the school’s cross country team…coached in basketball by Thomas Billups.
Personal: Full name is Darius Lashaun Rice…born October 16, 1982…majoring in Finance…son of Tom and Brenda Rice…has one sister, Valencia…enjoys playing chess and working on his computer in his spare time…nephew of NFL star receiver Jerry Rice…father was an All-American football player at Jackson State University.
