i have verbally committed to play basketball at University of North Texas #meangreen
— rickey.brice (@RickeyBrice23) October 28, 2014
Brice
Rickey Brice, a 6-foot-11 center from Arlington Pantego Christian, announced this afternoon that he has committed to UNT.
The decision is one Brice made after finding a comfort level with UNT head coach Tony Benford and his staff, who have spent the last few years recruiting him.
“The coaching staff is great and it’s not that far from home,” Brice said of UNT. “I am big on family. I feel like coach Benford is a family man. He will take good care of me. It’s a great fit. I will have a lot of help and support.”
Landing one of the top center prospects in the state is a key recruiting win for UNT.
Brice is ranked No. 23 on TexasHoops.com’s list of the top players in the state in the Class of 2015.
Brice averaged 15.3 points and 7.4 rebounds a game as a junior last season for Pantego Christian and could help fill a significant void for UNT next season. Colin Voss and Armani Flannigan, a pair of key forwards, will graduate after the upcoming campaign.
“The coaches absolutely told me that I could make an impact,” Brice said. “They said there is a possibility I could play right away if I work hard on and off the court.”
Brice said he chose UNT over offers from Stephen F. Austin, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, La Salle, Temple and St. Louis.
“North Texas is getting a tremendous sleeper,” said Alan Branch of TexasBoysBasketball.com said of Brice. “When Tony Benford was at Marquette, I talked Buzz Williams [who was the Golden Eagles' head coach at the time] into recruiting Chris Otule out of Fort Bend Bush, and he is not nearly the athlete that Rickey Brice is. Rickey is a little farther along than Chris Otule was at the same time. Chris Otule was a good player on a team that that went to two Sweet 16s and an Elite 8.”
Family considerations played a key role in Brice’s decision.
“I would like to have my family come and see me play,” Brice said. “My grandmother will be able to come and see me play. I have family all around Texas who will be able to come that might not have been able to fly to see me play in St. Louis or Philadelphia.”
Brice joins a class that also includes Ja’Michael Brown, a guard who will play the upcoming season at Pro-Vision Academy.
Brown is ranked as the 37th-best player in the state by TexasHoops.com.
For more on Brice, see tomorrow’s edition of the Denton Record-Chronicle.