Colin Rice was looking for a family in his college choice. He found that in Nebraska men’s basketball.
The unselfish style and family atmosphere are two things that drew the four-star wing from Waukee (Iowa) Northwest to signing with the Huskers.
“At the start was the family aspect of things, just how awesome they were, how nice they were and just the trust in their basketball knowhow and how they know basketball,” Rice said. “As much as it wasn’t coming to fruition the past few years, just believing in it.
“I saw Pryce (Sandfort) and people close to me that already believe in it, so (the decision) wasn’t very hard.”
Sandfort, also an alumnus of Waukee Northwest, and his relationship with Rice didn’t hurt the chances of Nebraska getting Rice in a recruiting battle between Iowa, Illinois and the Huskers.
“Obviously, it mattered being close to him and him being from Waukee Northwest, but they were recruiting me so much longer, before I was going to Iowa games to watch Pryce and not really wanting to be there. (Nebraska) was always home from the moment they offered me. Even before Pryce entered the portal, I think I had a pretty good understanding that I was probably going to end up there.”
The 2025-26 team’s success certainly hasn’t hurt the confidence in his decision to sign with the Huskers.
“It’s a really unselfish program and it’s awesome to see how much they are winning,” Rice said. “I want to say I was one of the first believers in this, which is really cool to be a part of.”
The 6-foot-8, 200-pound forward played the closest game to his future home of Lincoln in his high school career on Monday. The Northwest Wolves held on to defeat Millard North 70-68 in the MLK Classic at Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln. He scored the game-winning put-back on a missed free throw as the Wolves survived a Mustang shot at the buzzer.
In the game, Rice showed versatility in his offensive game. From the middle of the third quarter to the start of the fourth quarter, Rice scored 19 points in a row for the Wolves. He finished with a team-high 33 points on 11-of-19 shooting (4-of-9 from 3) and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line.
“It’s just basketball,” Rice said. “It helps when I get the ball. When I get in those rhythms, I know I’ve got to score the ball. It was nice, I was able to go put all the work out on the floor and show everybody.”
Who did he show? A crowded gym of fans of both Millard North and Waukee Northwest, along with Husker men’s basketball fans who came to see him.
Two of those onlookers were Husker head coach Fred Hoiberg and assistant Nate Loenser, who were undoubtedly smiling at the future Husker’s performance.
“It means a ton. It shows me how much they’re invested in me,” Rice said of the Husker coaches attending the game. “It shows me how the next four years are going to be. This is home, this is my family.”
Rice’s offensive game has expanded as his high school career is in its last month or so. He gives credit for his growth on the court to the hard work off of it.
“It’s a testament to the work I put in,” Rice said. “It’s getting better and better. The end goal is the end goal. I have a lot of big goals ahead of me, so I just keep working, and we’ll get better and better.”
Nebraska has a plan for Rice when he arrives on campus early this summer.
“Obviously, just put on some weight, get ready to play at that level,” he said. “It’s a little faster, everything’s a little sped up, it’s a little more thinking, but hopefully I can adjust as fast as I can so I can get out there as quick as I can.”
Rice is a four-star recruit and the 76th-ranked prospect in the 2026 class nationally according to the 247Sports Composite. His ability on the offensive end is diverse and the most underrated aspect of Rice’s game is his passing ability, which should fit nicely in the multi-ball hander Husker system.
“Just being able to have length and shoot the ball and put it on the floor when needed,” Rice said is the best attribute to his game. “Taking what the defense gives me and having a little bit of everything, knowing how to adjust in certain situations.”
