Photo by: Maria Lysaker | Rice Athletics
Men’s Basketball Signs Three for 2026-27
11/13/2025 7:02:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HOUSTON — Rice men's basketball coach Rob Lanier has announced his signing class for the 2026-27 season.
Alexander Leeth (Knoxville, Tenn.), Kaiden Myers (McKinney, Texas), and Jaxson Thompson (Dallas, Texas) have signed grant-in-aids for the 2026-27 school year.
"All three of these young men fit our program so well," said Lanier. "They're extremely high character, very competitive and each adds athleticism and shooting to our roster. As we begin our second year at Rice, adding these young men gives us yet another strong indicator that we are moving in the right direction."
Leeth, a 6-7 forward, currently plays at the Webb School of Knoxville in Knoxville, Tenn. Last year, he averaged 10.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.5 assists, helping the Spartans to a 34-2 record and the Division II-AA state title. He was First Team All-Region last year after earning Honorable Mention the year before. A Second Team All-5-Star Prep honoree, he has averaged 9.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.0 steals in his career.
Said Lanier, "Alex is the prototype forward for how we want to build our program. He is an excellent athlete along with being a very good outside shooter. He comes from a High School program that we are very familiar with, so we know he will come to us having been extremely well-coached."
Myers, a 6-4 guard, is a sophomore at Kilgore College. Through five games this year, he's averaging 14.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.8 steals. Last year, he led the team with 18.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.6 steals. He was second on the team with 74 three-pointers, and connected on 75.8% from the free throw line. He was also named Second Team NJCAA All-Academic, and to the Region 14 All-Academic Team. As a senior at Allen High School, he averaged 13.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.4 steals, helping the Eagles to a 32-6 record and a 6A District championship. His performance earned him District 5-6A Offensive Player of the Year, as well as TABC All-Region 1 honors.
"Kaiden is such a great fit," said Lanier. "He has the physical and mental maturity to be an impact player. He's a versatile guard who can handle the ball, make plays and really shoot the basketball. He has the kind of scoring ability I love, yet he is very unselfish."
Thompson, a 6-2 guard from Dallas, plays for the Greenhill School. Last year, he averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.7 steals, leading the Hornets to a 30-4 record and the SPC championship. He was named All-State by both the SPC and the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches. A two-time All-District player, he scored over 1,500 points through his junior season.
Added Lanier, "Jaxson is a dynamic lead guard with tremendous potential. He's very skilled, very athletic and can really score at all three levels. He has such a bright future. I knew I wanted to coach Jaxson the very first time I watched him play."
Rice closes its homestand tomorrow, Nov. 14, when it hosts East Texas A&M. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and will be streamed by ESPN+.
Alexander Leeth (Knoxville, Tenn.), Kaiden Myers (McKinney, Texas), and Jaxson Thompson (Dallas, Texas) have signed grant-in-aids for the 2026-27 school year.
"All three of these young men fit our program so well," said Lanier. "They're extremely high character, very competitive and each adds athleticism and shooting to our roster. As we begin our second year at Rice, adding these young men gives us yet another strong indicator that we are moving in the right direction."
Leeth, a 6-7 forward, currently plays at the Webb School of Knoxville in Knoxville, Tenn. Last year, he averaged 10.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.5 assists, helping the Spartans to a 34-2 record and the Division II-AA state title. He was First Team All-Region last year after earning Honorable Mention the year before. A Second Team All-5-Star Prep honoree, he has averaged 9.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.0 steals in his career.
Said Lanier, "Alex is the prototype forward for how we want to build our program. He is an excellent athlete along with being a very good outside shooter. He comes from a High School program that we are very familiar with, so we know he will come to us having been extremely well-coached."
Myers, a 6-4 guard, is a sophomore at Kilgore College. Through five games this year, he's averaging 14.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.8 steals. Last year, he led the team with 18.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.6 steals. He was second on the team with 74 three-pointers, and connected on 75.8% from the free throw line. He was also named Second Team NJCAA All-Academic, and to the Region 14 All-Academic Team. As a senior at Allen High School, he averaged 13.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.4 steals, helping the Eagles to a 32-6 record and a 6A District championship. His performance earned him District 5-6A Offensive Player of the Year, as well as TABC All-Region 1 honors.
"Kaiden is such a great fit," said Lanier. "He has the physical and mental maturity to be an impact player. He's a versatile guard who can handle the ball, make plays and really shoot the basketball. He has the kind of scoring ability I love, yet he is very unselfish."
Thompson, a 6-2 guard from Dallas, plays for the Greenhill School. Last year, he averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.7 steals, leading the Hornets to a 30-4 record and the SPC championship. He was named All-State by both the SPC and the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches. A two-time All-District player, he scored over 1,500 points through his junior season.
Added Lanier, "Jaxson is a dynamic lead guard with tremendous potential. He's very skilled, very athletic and can really score at all three levels. He has such a bright future. I knew I wanted to coach Jaxson the very first time I watched him play."
Rice closes its homestand tomorrow, Nov. 14, when it hosts East Texas A&M. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and will be streamed by ESPN+.
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