Syracuse Basketball: 5-star wing joins 4-star Kamari Lands at Prolific Prep

Syracuse basketball 2022 four-star commit Kamari Lands and his teammates at Prolific Prep in Napa Valley, Calif., are poised for a monster upcoming campaign.

The 6-foot-8 Lands is a key piece to the Prolific Prep roster, and an early pre-season top-25 poll from MaxPreps has Prolific Prep placed at No. 5 around the country. That pre-season ranking might ultimately end up climbing even higher, though.

Lands and his Prolific Prep squad are welcoming a new addition to the line-up, and it’s a massive one. MJ Rice, a five-star wing in the 2022 class, recently said on Twitter that he is transferring to Prolific Prep for his senior year. Wow.

The 6-foot-5 Rice, an elite shooting guard/small forward in this cycle, will come on board at Prolific Prep by way of another prep-school powerhouse, the Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va.

Syracuse basketball pledge Kamari Lands has a five-star player joining him at Prolific Prep.

According to a piece by Jason Jordan, the director of basketball recruiting for Sports Illustrated, Rice tallied 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists per contest during his most recent term for the Oak Hill Academy. MaxPreps named Rice to its junior All-America third team in the 2020-21 stanza.

Per Jordan, Rice also performed quite well on the AAU spring circuit with the North Carolina-based Team Loaded NC, when he averaged 25 points a game.

"On becoming a member of Prolific Prep, Rice said to Jordan, “They’re a great group of talented, skilled guys that want to work. We all have the same goals to win the GEICO Nationals and to be the best version of ourselves on and off the court. Plus, all of the people around the program have player’s best interest in mind; it’s a great situation.”"

Rice, ranked as high as No. 11 nationally in his class by ESPN, has numerous high-major offers. According to recruiting analysts, he’s also reportedly considering going straight from prep school to the professional ranks.

While Syracuse basketball doesn’t appear to be involved with Rice, his transfer to Prolific Prep should make that team even better than it already is.

And, that could lead to greater exposure for Lands, who is a top-25 player in the 2022 cycle, and I believe he will contend for top-five overall status at small forward within this class when all is said and done.