All You Need Is One: How Cancer Shaped Myles Rice’s Life and Basketball Career

September 12 is a date that stays close to Myles Rice. It’s his mother’s birthday, which is something he could never forget for an ulterior reason. 

His mom’s 49th birthday in 2022 wasn’t filled with the smiles and laughter often associated with celebrating a loved one. Sept. 12, 2022, was one of the most difficult days the Rices have ever endured. 

Rice received the news first. His mind immediately feared the worst. As a 19-year-old redshirt freshman at Washington State, he learned he had been diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer that affects the body’s ability to fight infection.

The diagnosis came with a weight that reshaped everything he thought he knew about the future. Still, he had to inform his mom that his life was in jeopardy on a day that was meant to be about her.

“When you hear cancer, you just go off the deep end,” Rice said. “It’s hard not to. Having to make that call to my mom on her birthday was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do in my life.”

More than three years later, everything in Rice’s life looks different. He’s cancer-free. He’s a redshirt junior for Maryland basketball, a leader chasing big goals and a young man shaped by adversity in ways most can’t imagine.

The 6-foot-3, 185-pound guard didn’t just survive cancer. He was transformed by it. His journey is a story of faith, relentless resolve and a community that refused to let him face it alone. That struggle made him tougher, more empathetic and determined to uplift others. It’s also what brought him to College Park, where he’s writing a new chapter of his life.

“One word to describe Myles Rice is resilient,” Isaiah Watts, one of Rice’s best friends, said. “He's been through everything, and he's overcome. He's become a figure for people who fought for their lives.”

Betting on Belief   

Rice was born in Columbia, South Carolina, before moving to the Atlanta area as a toddler. It was around then that he began playing basketball.

In addition to his father, Rice credits his cousin, Jameel Taylor, with playing a significant role in his basketball career. Taylor played at Catawba College and had a brief stint overseas. He now works as an assistant basketball coach at North Greenville University. 

“Seeing him play in high school growing up, and then seeing him play in college, that was the first guy I got to be around,” Rice said. “Seeing him do all those things, I wanted to be just like him, and even better. He definitely pushed me to be my greatest self.”

Rice fell in love with basketball once he reached his pre-teens. He later developed into a top-50 nationally ranked point guard and a top-15 prospect in Georgia. Despite his rankings, high-major college basketball recruiters viewed Rice differently coming out of Sandy Creek High School.

There were questions about his size and how his play would translate at the next level. Rice remained confident in his ability. He just needed a chance to prove himself. Then-Washington State head coach Kyle Smith gave him that. 

The Cougars were the only Power Five program to offer Rice a scholarship out of high school. It’s something he will always remember, but never make excuses for. He was simply grateful Smith and WSU took a chance on him. 

Rice redshirted his freshman year in Pullman. But heading into the 2022-23 season, he was ready to make his mark. He added weight to his frame and leaned on veterans to help him nail down the little things, including managing his emotions and feelings about being under-recruited.  

“[The staff] took a chance on a kid during COVID [who was] all the way across the country,” Rice said. “They could only watch me on livestream, and we could only talk over Zoom. … They put faith in me that I could go out there and make an impact on their team.”

All You Need is One 

Rice was working out back home in Atlanta over the summer before he traveled to South Carolina to visit family. It was his aunt who noticed something first. A portion of Rice’s neck was swollen. She suggested he get it checked out. He brushed it off. 

Two weeks before Rice had to report back to school for summer workouts, the swelling increased, and the portion of his neck became puffy. Still, he didn’t think much of it. It got to a point where he and his dad went to the hospital. Rice then had a biopsy done as soon as he returned to Washington.  

The testing process took roughly a month before he received his results. The first thing he did that day was call his mom and wish her a happy birthday. He then called back a few hours later with the results.   

“That was a tough call that I had to take,” Rice’s mom, Tamara, said in a Big Ten Network interview. “I knew nothing about it. … I just start[ed] learning, depending on your stage, that you can beat this cancer.”

Rice could hear the fear in his mom’s voice. But she and the rest of his family held firm, setting an example for him. He began his treatment process on Oct. 6, 2022, which was his brother’s birthday. It lasted several months, bringing him halfway through the new year. 

His fight came with challenges. He cried the first time his parents visited him after his diagnosis. The treatment process drained him. It consisted of biweekly chemotherapy sessions, which were nearly five hours each time. 

The first few months were the hardest. Rice slept most of the day, struggled with basic bathroom routines and barely ate. He had a fear that he would die, especially when he first started chemotherapy.

“Myles is a strong guy,” Rice's dad, Joel, said. “But the cancer treatments drained him. [It] made him weak. [A] couple of times, he told me he don’t think he’ll be able to do it.”  

Rice’s mom relocated to Washington for the school year and served as his anchor. That anchor extended to Rice’s teammates and coaches. It also included the entire Pullman community.    

On March 9, 2023, Rice rang the bell after receiving his last treatment. As someone who still focuses on vision and mindset, he wrote down that the next day would be better than the last. This led him and his father to coin the phrase, “All you need is one.”    

The phrase was a foundation block of everything Rice went through. He explained that the meaning is specific to the individual. However, it has the power to unite others. The one represents the single motivation that drives one to chase their dreams. 

“It was basically a little saying for me and him at first, and it was just saying, ‘All we need is one more day,’” Rice said. “We kept saying it, [and] it became our thing and how I can inspire others.”

More Than a Comeback

Rice didn’t waste time once he learned he was cancer-free. He put himself through rigorous workouts to fuel a comeback to the court. He plotted out exactly how much time he had before the Cougars’ season began in November. 

Just as they did while he was battling cancer, everybody in Rice’s corner continued to push him. He also began helping others and made a new friend while doing so. Watts was a true freshman on Washington State’s 2023-24 team. 

“He helped me with everything,” Watts said. “He helped me understand the way coaches say things and how to receive it. The way to handle off-the-court stuff, the way to handle on-the-court stuff. The way to handle a home game versus an away game. He helped me with a lot.”

The media selected Washington State to finish No. 10 in the Pac-12 preseason poll. However, the Cougars finished second in the conference with a 25-10 overall and 14-6 conference record. They even made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 16 seasons. 

Rice started all 35 games and was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, while also garnering Kyle Macy National Freshman All-America and All-Pac-12 First Team honors. He also set freshman program records for single-game scoring (35), single-season scoring (519), single-season assists (134) and single-season steals (56).  

The season was magical for many reasons. Not only did Rice return after beating cancer, but almost everyone on the team had their own comeback story. Rice wrote down goals ahead of the season. He says he checked off a dozen of them, leaving all but one unchecked. 

“I believe whatever you think [and] put on paper is bound to come to you in some type of way,” Rice said. “Even if it's ‘I want to be a better person today.’ You're going to have ample opportunities and chances to be a better person than you were yesterday.”

The Making of a Terp 

Rice transferred to Indiana ahead of the 2024-25 season. But he and Maryland basketball head coach Buzz Williams were in contact while he was in the portal. Williams was fresh off his second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance at Texas A&M.  

The two had a two-hour conversation about life, including the things each had overcome and how they never let their past define them. In later discussions, Williams preached his desire to coach Rice on his intangibles. He also vowed to coach him to a high standard. Although Rice transferred elsewhere, those interactions resonated with Rice. 

Rice was named to the 2025 Bob Cousy Award Watchlist and a team captain as a first-year Hoosier. He was a steady contributor for Indiana. However, he opted to transfer again after the team missed the NCAA Tournament for a second straight season.

Williams officially accepted the head coaching job at Maryland on April 1, 2025. It became a much easier decision for Rice a second time.

“He was actually on campus visiting Texas A&M when I had to make a decision for the job,” Williams said in an interview at the 2025 Big Ten Basketball Media Days. “I love his story. I love his spirit. I love who he is as a person, his values, his beliefs [and] how his mom and dad have raised him.”

Rice committed to Maryland less than a week later. Five days after that, Watts followed and reunited with him.   

The pair picked up where they left off, maintaining a brotherly relationship. Watts says Rice has grown as a leader. He serves as one for the entire team, especially given that he’s one of three players on the roster with a lick of prior Big Ten playing experience.  

“He's a great vocal leader,” Watts said. “You'll hear him a lot in huddles. You hear him a lot during timeouts. He's always making sure everybody's straight and steady. He sets the tone for us.”

Bigger Than Basketball

Rice’s journey is one of resilience born from adversity, shaped by faith and defined by an unshakable will to move forward. His story is one told many times before, yet he never gets tired of telling it. He believes there’s no point in having a testimony if one’s unwilling to share it.  

He remains transparent about every aspect of his life. He says he faces more challenges now than when he was going through chemotherapy. At the same time, he believes going through everything made him stronger for the aftermath.

“I think what most people would say is that you find a lot about yourself when you're in the process,” Rice said. “I think it's once you're done with it. How are you able to handle the things that come after that? How are you able to still have that same mindset of, ‘I got to stay hungry, I got to do this. I got to do all the things that got me through that, and continue to do it at an even higher level.’”

Rice’s story has inspired people far beyond Pullman, Bloomington and College Park, including Watts, who watched his return to the court. He saw him carry himself with perspective well beyond his years.

“He literally beat death,” Watts said. “I say it all the time. He's inspiring. He inspires me every day to keep pushing no matter what.” 

That perspective, Watts said, extends far beyond basketball.

“He showed me a lot about life. Never take anything too seriously. Obviously, put your focus and mental to it. But life is way more important than the little things that we're doing. You've got to look at every day as a blessing.”

The support Rice received while battling cancer motivated him to give back through family nonprofits. He created two: the S.O.L.O. (Supporting Overcoming Life's Obstacles) Center and G.I.V.E. (Gratitude Increases Value Everyday) Foundation. 

At their core, both turn Rice’s gratitude into action, creating opportunities to serve, inspire and uplift others. He’s organized back-to-school drives and hopes to run a camp this offseason. 

As Rice continues to move forward, some dates never lose their meaning. Sept. 12 will always carry the weight of fear, faith and uncertainty. However, it also serves as a reminder of how far he’s come and why he remains committed to making every day count.

“Always believe in yourself,” Rice said. “Don't let anybody, any circumstance or any situation deteriorate you from who you know that you are, and continue to stay down your path and know that nothing comes easy. As long as you continue to work for it, and you work on yourself, everything is going to come to you.”