Ain’t no rules say a dog can’t play basketball, and as it turns out the same is true of throwing shoes.
Rice can be seen lurking at the top of the frame with his shoe locked and loaded before he tries to strike from the grass.
Weirdly, the referees decided to swallow the whistle on the play. While throwing a shoe is not explicitly forbidden in the rulebook — probably because the writers asked each other ‘why would this situation ever happen?’ — it is generally considered to be an unsportsmanlike play and a technical foul on the perpetrator.
Maryland would end up losing 70-60 to the Hoyas, with Rice scoring 19 points and hauling in seven rebounds in his Terps debut. His biggest contribution, however, isn’t going to show up on the stat sheet. Even though he probably shouldn’t do it again, it’s worth trying anything once.
Rice won’t play his old team until Jan. 7. But with this precedent, he might have a few new tricks in his bag by then.