Maryland basketball announced that Virginia Tech transfer guard Rodney Rice has officially joined the program Friday. The news comes just one day after the program announced that Belmont transfer guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie officially joined the Terps on Thursday.

A native of Clinton, Md., Rice was a standout performer at DeMatha Catholic, earning First Team All-Met honors as a senior, before playing for Virginia Tech during the 2022-2023 season.

Although his 2022-2023 season was limited due to injury, Rice played in eight total games averaging 7.4 points and 3.3 rebounds in 20.1 minutes of action per game. He had a season-high 17 points against NC State in the second round of the ACC Tournamen, going 5-of-7 from beyond the arc. He also scored 11 points at Duke (2/25/23) and had 10 points against Florida State (3/4/23). Rice stepped away from the Virginia Tech program just ahead of the start of the 2023-24 season.

“We’re excited to add Rodney to the program and have him return to his home state,” said Maryland head coach Kevin Willard. “He’s obviously dealt with some obstacles early in his career, but has a drive and determination to come in, work hard, and give us a boost as a scoring guard.”

Rice joins the Maryland program as a sophomore with three years of eligibility remaining.

Gillespie spent two years at Belmont, averaging 17.2 points, 4.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.2 steals this past season for the Bruins. He was named to the Missouri Valley All-Conference Second Team and the MVC All-Defensive Team. Additionally, he was selected to the conference’s Most-Improved Team.

“Ja’Kobi comes in as a well-rounded, athletic guard who can score and defend at a high level,” said Willard. “He wants to compete at the highest level and has a daily drive to keep improving, while also making those around him better.”

A rising junior, Gillespie joins the program with two years of eligibility remaining.

Willard and the Terps also got good news this week that Jordan Geronimo would return to Maryland for his final year of eligibility.

Geronimo spent three seasons at Indiana before transferring to Maryland last offseason. The 6-foot-6 forward averaged 5.4 points and 3.9 rebounds for the Terps this past season, starting 26 of 31 games in which he played.

The Terps still have two open scholarships remaining. They are set to host UC San Diego First-Team All-Big West guard Bryce Pope on his first official visit April 15.