Kiki Rice

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Kiki Rice
Kiki Rice at US Open 2022.jpg
Rice at 2022 US Open
No. 1 – UCLA Bruins
PositionPoint guard
LeaguePac-12 Conference
Personal information
Born (2004-01-14) January 14, 2004 (age 18)
San Francisco, California
NationalityAmerican
Listed height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Career information
High schoolSidwell Friends
(Washington, D.C.)
CollegeUCLA (2022–present)
Career highlights and awards
hide
Medals
Women's basketball
Representing the  United States
FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship
Gold medal – first place 2022 Argentina Team
FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship
Gold medal – first place 2019 Chile Team
Women's 3x3 basketball
Representing the  United States
FIBA 3x3 Under-18 World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2021 Hungary Team

Kira Carroll "Kiki" Rice (born January 14, 2004) is an American college basketball player for the UCLA Bruins of the Pac-12 Conference. She played for Sidwell Friends School at the high school level, where she was one of the top recruits in her class and earned national player of the year honors as a senior.

High school career[]

Rice played basketball for Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C. As a freshman, she averaged 19.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game,[1] leading her team to the semifinals of the state tournament.[2] In her sophomore season, Rice averaged 26.8 points, 10.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.3 steals per game, helping her team reach the District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA) Class AA title game.[3] She was named D.C. Gatorade Player of the Year and DMV Student-Athlete of the Year by NBC Sports Washington.[4] Rice did not play in her junior year after the Independent School League (ISL) canceled winter sports activities amid the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] In her senior season, she led Sidwell Friends to a 28–0 record and the No. 1 national ranking by ESPN and MaxPreps, averaging 15.8 points, seven rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.6 steals per game.[6] Her team won the ISL tournament and its first DCSAA Class AA title.[7] Rice earned Gatorade National Player of the Year, Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year and Naismith Prep Player of the Year honors.[8] She played in the McDonald's All-American Game, where she shared the MVP award with Gabriela Jaquez.[9]

In addition to basketball, Rice played soccer for Sidwell Friends School at the forward and midfielder positions.[10] In her freshman season, she led the team to ISL and DCSAA tournament titles. Rice was named D.C. Gatorade Player of the Year and DCSAA Player of the Year after recording 42 goals and 12 assists.[11] As a senior, Rice repeated as D.C. Gatorade Player of the Year, helping Sidwell Friends win the DCSAA tournament, and recorded 15 goals and nine assists.[12] She was named MaxPreps Athlete of the Year for her performance in basketball and soccer.[13]

Recruiting[]

Rice was considered a five-star recruit, the second-best player and the top point guard in the 2022 class by ESPN. On November 4, 2021, she committed to playing college basketball for UCLA over offers from UConn, Stanford, Arizona and Duke. Rice became the highest-ranked recruit in program history. She was drawn to UCLA by the opportunity to help lead a team to its first Final Four and national championship.[14]

National team career[]

Rice helped the United States under-16 national team win a gold medal at the 2019 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in Chile, where she averaged 7.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.[15] She led the United States under-18 national team to a gold medal at the 2022 FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship in Argentina. Rice earned tournament MVP honors after averaging 14.3 points, four rebounds and four assists per game.[16]

In 3x3 basketball, Rice won a gold medal with the United States at the FIBA 3x3 Under-18 World Cup in Hungary.[8]

Personal life[]

Rice's father, John, and brother, Teo, have both played college basketball for Yale. Her mother, Andrea, was a member of the tennis team at the same college. Rice's aunt is diplomat Susan Rice, and she is a cousin of former NBA player Allan Houston.[14]

References[]

  1. ^ "2018-19 ALL-USA District of Columbia Girls Basketball Team". USA Today High School Sports. April 17, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  2. ^ Whitaker, Grace (June 4, 2022). "No. 2 recruit Kiki Rice brings winning pedigree to UCLA women's basketball". Daily Bruin. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  3. ^ "Sidwell Friends School Student-Athlete Named Gatorade District of Columbia Girls Basketball Player of the Year" (PDF). Gatorade. March 6, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  4. ^ "All-DMV Basketball Team: Kiki Rice is the student-athlete of the year". NBC Sports Washington. March 25, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  5. ^ Errigo, Michael (January 14, 2021). "Some private school basketball programs are testing the limits of murky pandemic restrictions". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  6. ^ Huybers, Johanna (March 28, 2022). "Kiki Rice, No. 2-ranked 2022 girls basketball recruit, adding firepower to Pac-12". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  7. ^ Melnick, Kyle (March 17, 2022). "Sidwell Friends' Kiki Rice is named Gatorade national player of the year". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b Drumwright, Steve (June 15, 2022). "Women's U18 Point Guard Kiki Rice Grows into Leading Role with National Team". USA Basketball. Red Line Editorial. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  9. ^ "UCLA recruits Kiki Rice, Gabriela Jaquez share MVP honors at McDonald's All American Game". ESPN. Associated Press. March 29, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  10. ^ "Sidwell Friends School Student-Athlete Named Gatorade District of Columbia Girls Soccer Player of the Year" (PDF). Gatorade. June 23, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  11. ^ "Sidwell Friends School Student-Athlete Named Gatorade District of Columbia Girls Soccer Player of the Year" (PDF). Gatorade. June 13, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  12. ^ "Sidwell Friends School Student-Athlete Named Gatorade District of Columbia Girls Soccer Player of the Year" (PDF). Gatorade. June 23, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  13. ^ Stephens, Mitch (June 7, 2022). "Kiki Rice named 2021-22 MaxPreps National Female High School Athlete of the Year". MaxPreps. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b Givony, Jonathan (November 4, 2021). "Kiki Rice, No. 2 women's prospect in ESPN's class of 2022, commits to UCLA". ESPN. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  15. ^ "Kira Rice (USA)'s profile – FIBA U16 Women's Americas Championship 2019". FIBA. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  16. ^ "Rice wins MVP; De Oliveira, Todd, McMahon, Tribouley, headline All-Star Five". FIBA. June 20, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
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