A productive guard from USC Upstate is the latest to join the 2026 Rice Basketball recruiting class. Carmelo Adkins has committed to the Owls.
Piece by piece, the 2026 Rice Basketball recruiting class is coming together, with additions from all over the globe. The most recent pledge comes from a familiar place. USC Upstate guard Carmelo Adkins has committed to the Owls.
A Lubbock, Texas native, Adkins is coming off a pair of productive seasons with the Spartans. He averaged 10.1 points and 4.8 rebounds as a true freshman during the 2024-2025 season before upping his production to 13.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per game last season. He was the third lead scorer and second on the team in rebounding before entering the portal and finding his way to South Main.
Adkins is the second notable import from USC Upstate in recent years. That program produced Trae Broadnax, who departed the program the season before Adkins arrived. He joins Charlotte transfer Jarne Elouna Eyenga and Slovenian forward Tristan Vukotic as the current transfer cohort for the Owls as they prepare for the 2026-2027 season.
More: Rice Basketball 2026 Roster Tracker
There’s a lot to like in the 6-foot-4 sophomore’s game. Two years of productive play and some impressive film highlight Adkins as a proficient shooter who can score from all three levels. He has some solid shot creation in his game and should be able to provide an immediate impact for the Owls when he arrives on campus.