University Southern California Trojans
Photo by: Bryce Dechert
November 02, 2026 | Men's Basketball
The Naismith Trophy is one of the most prestigious national honors in college basketball.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Senior guard Rodney Rice was named to the Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Men's Player of the Year Watch List, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced today.
Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, the Naismith Award is one of the most prestigious national honors awarded each year to the nation's top men's and women's college basketball players in the nation.
Rice made the cut of 50 players included on the Naismith Watch List. That list of 50 will be whittled down to 30 midway through the season before a national committee of basketball coaches, administrators and media members narrows the group down to four finalists later in the season.
The point guard from Clinton, Md. had an impressive start to the 2025-26 season, averaging 20.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and a team-high 6.0 assists in six games before a shoulder surgery cut his season short.
Last season, Rice finished in double figures in all six games in which he played, including four games with 20 or more points. He also recorded the second triple-double in program history against Illinois State with 21 points, a career-high 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
Earlier this offseason, Rice was named to Preseason All-Big Ten team, marking the first time under Head Coach Eric Musselman that a Trojan has earned preseason conference recognition.
Today, Rice and the Trojans tip off a highly anticipated 2026-27 campaign against the Milwaukee Panthers at 7:30 p.m. in the Galen Center. The program will look to improve upon last year's 18-14 record with three returners, seven transfers and the No. 5 recruiting class in ESPN's rankings, which is USC's second-best recruiting class since ESPN started tracking that data in 2007.
Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Men's Player of the Year Watch List
Amari Allen (Alabama)
Flory Bidunga (Louisville)
John Blackwell (Duke)
Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje (Duke)
Elliot Cadeau (Michigan)
Rueben Chinyelu (Florida)
Alex Condon (Florida)
Jason Crowe Jr. (Missouri)
Thijs De Ridder (Virginia)
Silas Demary Jr. (UConn)
Mason Falslev (Utah State)
Jeremy Fears Jr. (Michigan State)
PJ Haggerty (Texas A&M)
Juke Harris (Tennessee)
Thomas Haugh (Florida)
Shelton Henderson (Miami)
Aden Holloway (Alabama)
Caleb Holt (Arizona)
Josh Hubbard (Mississippi State)
Braden Huff (Gonzaga)
Tomislav Ivišić (Illinois)
Nigel James Jr. (Marquette)
Trey Kaufman-Renn (Kansas)
Ivan Kharchenkov (Arizona)
Motiejus Krivas (Arizona)
Acaden Lewis (Miami)
Tamin Lipsey (Iowa State)
Trey McKenney (Michigan)
David Mirković (Illinois)
John Mobley Jr. (Ohio State)
Milan Momcilovic (Kentucky)
Braylon Mullins (UConn)
Paulius Murauskas (Arizona State)
Patrick Ngongba II (Duke)
Tahaad Pettiford (Auburn)
David Punch (Texas)
Malik Reneau (Miami)
Rodney Rice (USC)
Pryce Sandfort (Nebraska)
Jackson Shelstad (Louisville)
Jordan Smith Jr. (Arkansas)
Andrej Stojaković (Illinois)
Tyran Stokes (Kansas)
Tyler Tanner (Vanderbilt)
JT Toppin (Texas Tech)
Joseph Tugler (Houston)
Matas Vokietaitis (Texas)
Nolan Winter (Wisconsin)
Robert Wright III (BYU)
Tounde Yessoufou (St. John's)
Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, the Naismith Award is one of the most prestigious national honors awarded each year to the nation's top men's and women's college basketball players in the nation.
Rice made the cut of 50 players included on the Naismith Watch List. That list of 50 will be whittled down to 30 midway through the season before a national committee of basketball coaches, administrators and media members narrows the group down to four finalists later in the season.
The point guard from Clinton, Md. had an impressive start to the 2025-26 season, averaging 20.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and a team-high 6.0 assists in six games before a shoulder surgery cut his season short.
Last season, Rice finished in double figures in all six games in which he played, including four games with 20 or more points. He also recorded the second triple-double in program history against Illinois State with 21 points, a career-high 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
Earlier this offseason, Rice was named to Preseason All-Big Ten team, marking the first time under Head Coach Eric Musselman that a Trojan has earned preseason conference recognition.
Today, Rice and the Trojans tip off a highly anticipated 2026-27 campaign against the Milwaukee Panthers at 7:30 p.m. in the Galen Center. The program will look to improve upon last year's 18-14 record with three returners, seven transfers and the No. 5 recruiting class in ESPN's rankings, which is USC's second-best recruiting class since ESPN started tracking that data in 2007.
Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Men's Player of the Year Watch List
Amari Allen (Alabama)
Flory Bidunga (Louisville)
John Blackwell (Duke)
Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje (Duke)
Elliot Cadeau (Michigan)
Rueben Chinyelu (Florida)
Alex Condon (Florida)
Jason Crowe Jr. (Missouri)
Thijs De Ridder (Virginia)
Silas Demary Jr. (UConn)
Mason Falslev (Utah State)
Jeremy Fears Jr. (Michigan State)
PJ Haggerty (Texas A&M)
Juke Harris (Tennessee)
Thomas Haugh (Florida)
Shelton Henderson (Miami)
Aden Holloway (Alabama)
Caleb Holt (Arizona)
Josh Hubbard (Mississippi State)
Braden Huff (Gonzaga)
Tomislav Ivišić (Illinois)
Nigel James Jr. (Marquette)
Trey Kaufman-Renn (Kansas)
Ivan Kharchenkov (Arizona)
Motiejus Krivas (Arizona)
Acaden Lewis (Miami)
Tamin Lipsey (Iowa State)
Trey McKenney (Michigan)
David Mirković (Illinois)
John Mobley Jr. (Ohio State)
Milan Momcilovic (Kentucky)
Braylon Mullins (UConn)
Paulius Murauskas (Arizona State)
Patrick Ngongba II (Duke)
Tahaad Pettiford (Auburn)
David Punch (Texas)
Malik Reneau (Miami)
Rodney Rice (USC)
Pryce Sandfort (Nebraska)
Jackson Shelstad (Louisville)
Jordan Smith Jr. (Arkansas)
Andrej Stojaković (Illinois)
Tyran Stokes (Kansas)
Tyler Tanner (Vanderbilt)
JT Toppin (Texas Tech)
Joseph Tugler (Houston)
Matas Vokietaitis (Texas)
Nolan Winter (Wisconsin)
Robert Wright III (BYU)
Tounde Yessoufou (St. John's)
Players Mentioned
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