Mike Rice and D’Angelo Harrison spent large chunks of this summer in Houston, two big local college basketball names either booted or suspended from their respective schools, both looking for a way back. The two former rivals wound up finding each other instead.
Harrison, the suspended St. John’s star from Texas, and Rice, the fired Rutgers coach from Pittsburgh, bonded at the John Lucas Center and Wellness Program.
Harrison declined to delve deep into their relationship Thursday, during pre-game availability for Friday’s home game against Wagner, but did say with a smile, “Coach Rice is a good friend, my friend.”
“He was there [in Houston] when I was working out there, he lives here and came to a game,” he said. When pressed, Harrison said, “That’s not important right now. What’s important right now is Wagner. Not yet. We’re not talking about that yet.” Rice likewise declined to comment.
They each met with anger management counselors and took Yoga classes, though it is unclear if those were done together. They did spend a lot of “quality time together” while in Houston, a source said.
The relationship has seemed to grow since they went their separate ways. At Harrison’s invitation, Rice attended the second St. John’s second exhibition game last week against Humboldt State with Lucas, the former NBA player and coach turned athlete guru and life coach.
“They got to know each other through being in the John Lucas program, struck up a friendship,” St. John’s coach Steve Lavin said. “They stayed in touch. I think there is a good camaraderie there. I think that’s a good thing for both of them. It’s a real positive.”
Harrison, a preseason second team All-Big East selection who averaged a team-high 17.8 points per game last season, was suspended for the final three games of that season for conduct detrimental to the team, after his behavior issues became too much for Lavin to tolerate.
Rice’s transgressions drew nationwide headlines when ESPN aired video of the former Rutgers coach abusing players during practice. He was seen throwing basketballs at players, shoving players and yelling homophobic slurs, including “f—ing f—t” and “fairy.” He was fired in April after three seasons amid the firestorm that also cost athletic director Tim Pernetti his job.
Harrison’s reprieve came sooner than Rice’s will. He was welcomed back to St. John’s over the summer after Lavin felt Harrison made the necessary adjustments to his attitude and learned a valuable lesson. Lavin and Harrison’s teammates have raved about the star junior guard since his return, the improvements he made with his on-court demeanor, his overall poise and fresh outlook.
Rice is hoping to get a similar opportunity one day. He’s begun his comeback with The Hoop Group, a New Jersey-based grass-roots basketball academy, and wants to get back into coaching. He appeared on ABC’s “20/20” last Friday and was the focus of a feature in the New York Times about his attempted comeback. Rice has said he is “a changed man.”