College Commitment – Aidan Rice (2024 Beaverton/West. Washington)

The journey to Division I basketball has different paths. For some, it's directly out of high school and for others it may require some other stops along the way. For Aiden Rice, it may not have happened directly after he graduated from Beaverton High School but the time for him to play at the highest level of college hoops is now. After two years at D-II Western Washington, Rice is now headed to California to continue his playing career after announcing that he'll be transferring to the University of California of Riverside.

"The coaching staff really made the difference; they were the first to offer and truly believed in me," Rice said. "It's a great development program with a real family atmosphere, and I'm excited to keep getting better there. Being in the sun is a nice bonus too."

Rice made his decision not long after making a visit to campus last week. UC Riverside was the first school to offer him after he announced he would be entering the transfer portal, and it didn't take long for the athletic guard to see it was the right match for him in all aspects - especially on the court.

"I see myself fitting in great," Rice said. "The coach has a proven track record of helping D2 guards transition and really excel at the D1 level, which gives me a lot of confidence. The play style is a perfect match, too—I love the emphasis on ball screens and a fast-paced offense where we can play free as a team. I'm ready to step into whatever role the team needs to have a winning season next year."

As Rice heads to Riverside, he can reflect back on his path to this point. While the potential was obviously there, he wasn't quite deemed ready for college basketball's highest level right out of high school. He got the opportunity to initially walk-on at Western Washington where over the course of the past couple of seasons, he continued to work hard and develop. After a freshman season coming off the bench and averaging 6.6 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists he blossomed into a full-time starter in 2025-26, averaging 18.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 4.0 assists while shooting just under 47 percent from the field and 37 percent from three. He was named Second Team All-GNAC and he'll take all these accolades down to the Inland Empire.

"It's been an incredible journey since my time at Beaverton, and the growth is night and day," Rice said. "The last two years at Western Washington have been essential for my development. The program prepped me in so many ways, and I've been fortunate to learn from some really great players and coaches who pushed me to a new level. Physically, I've become much more athletic, which has allowed me to adapt to the faster pace of the college game. I've also evolved into a more dynamic scorer, finding ways to be effective from all over the floor."

"This year specifically, I've taken a huge leap in my playmaking," Rice continued. "I've become way better at playing in ball screens and consistently making the right decisions. Western really helped me refine my raw skills into a much more polished, collegiate-level game."

Our congratulations go out to Rice and his family on his decision.