Not a Baby Anymore: Rico II Sain Commits to Lane College

Rico II is blessed with so many talents and gifts, but he is mostly known for his basketball skills on the court. It is those skills that made him the perfect prospect for Lane College (LC) where Rico II committed to play basketball as an LC Dragon. The “baby of the family” is not so small anymore and will be making his mark in Jackson, Tennessee next season.

“He has been playing basketball since he was five years old,” said his mother, Casshawndra Sain, who is the principal at Whiteville Elementary School. “He started trying to dunk at age eight. His dad and brother would lower the goal and he would try for hours.”

No one really expected anything different from Rico II. After all, he came by his love of basketball naturally. His mother and father, Ericko Sain I, played basketball in high school and both had successful careers. Mrs. Sain started at West High School until consolidation in 1992 and Mr. Sain played for two years at Bolivar Central High School before transferring to South Side High School, where they both graduated, and afterwards continued playing at the collegiate level. The Sains played basketball and other sports with their children, Javarus, Jay, Kiya, Kierra, and Kaeli, and Rico II as they were growing up. The training was a joint effort of both parents.

“With me being an educator and coach, his siblings being athletes, ‘Lil Rico’ as we call him, was always in a gym, at a practice, shooting on the side goals while practices were going on, and on the main goals during breaks or at the end of practices,” said Mrs. Sain, who was an assistant basketball coach for several years at the middle school and high school levels. “His father invested time with him to develop his skills. I pushed for him to be fundamentally sound, but dad did a lot of one-on-one drills and skill development. Rico II admired his older brother, Jay (also an outstanding basketball player), and wanted to be like him. He went to his practices, attended all of his games, and played against him in the yard every chance he got.”

As he got older, Rico II played in middle school for the West Bemis Tigers and at South Side High School for four years.

“Rico II was a standout player who made three state tournament appearances, was awarded a Tennessee Associated Press State Champions, two TSSAA State Runner Up, and was a 3A Mr. Basketball Finalist,” said Mrs. Sain. “He holds the record for dunks at South Side (76), and two years at Columbia Community College where he was awarded 2022-2023 TCCAA Regular Season Champions, 2024 TCCAA All Conference Second Team, and the TCCAA Academic All-Conference Team.” 

Rico II loves making people jump out of their seats when he plays because of his explosiveness and high energy on defense, a position he loves playing. He is looking forward to time on the court during games and also playing well for his “support fans” that will be watching from the stands. Rico II will also be carrying on a legacy when he attends Lane College. His father graduated from Lane College in April 2024 and many family members, teachers, and people from the community who have positively influenced his life graduated from Lane College.

“I am looking forward to playing in my hometown in front of my family and friends. I’ve always had a big support system, so coming home and being able to play in front of them means a lot. Also, the opportunity to earn another degree at a HBCU while playing the game I love, is definitely a blessing. I want to win a championship,” said Rico II. “I would like to thank God, Coach Harold, and Lane College for giving him this opportunity.”

“We love to watch all our children do anything that they love to do. We have watched his hard work pay off. To see him use his God-given talent is something, often amazed at some of the dunks, shots, blocks, steals, and all that he’s able to do,” his parents shared in agreement. “He never gets tired or gives up. Work ethic is top tier. He’s always cheering on his teammates, and he rarely gets rattled or shows any emotional stress when under pressure. His defensive steals and dunks were definitely amazing. His first dunk was on our 23rd wedding anniversary when he was a sophomore. His father often says how much of himself he sees in Rico II while he’s playing.”

Rico, the baby of the family who was the biggest at birth weighing 10 pounds, eight ounces, is now the tallest of his siblings. Since a child, he has earned affectionate nicknames like ‘lil Rico’, ‘Ric, Bubba’, ‘Re-R’e, and ‘Spank’. He is described as a pretty good cook, who hates washing dishes, and can sing, but rarely does. Rico II is also very sensitive, funny, and always smiles. That little boy is headed to Lane College to study business and play basketball, a sport he absolutely loves.

Read more local news by clicking here.

Stay informed on what’s happening in Hardeman County by subscribing to Hatchie Press e-mail updates.

Do you have community news you’d like to share? E-mail us at news@hatchiepress.com