Kiki Rice

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.

Kiki Rice
Rice with UCLA in 2022
No. 1 – UCLA Bruins
PositionPoint guard
LeaguePac-12 Conference
Personal information
Born (2004-01-14) January 14, 2004
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
Medals
Women's basketball
Representing the  United States
FIBA Under-19 World Cup
Gold medal – first place2023 SpainTeam
FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship
Gold medal – first place2022 ArgentinaTeam
FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship
Gold medal – first place2019 ChileTeam
Women's 3x3 basketball
Representing the  United States
FIBA 3x3 Under-18 World Cup
Gold medal – first place2021 HungaryTeam

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 Athlete of the Year,[8] Gatorade National Player of the Year, Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year and Naismith Prep Player of the Year honors.[9] She played in the McDonald's All-American Game, where she shared the MVP award with Gabriela Jaquez.[10]

In addition to basketball, Rice played soccer for Sidwell Friends School at the forward and midfielder positions.[11] 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.[12] 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.[13] She was named MaxPreps Athlete of the Year for her performance in basketball and soccer.[14]

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.[15]

College career

On November 7, 2022, Rice made her debut for UCLA, recording 12 points and seven assists in an 84–48 win over Cal Poly.[16] On March 3, 2023, she scored a season-high 22 points in a 69–65 upset win over Stanford at the Pac-12 tournament semifinals.[17] As a freshman, Rice averaged 11.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3 assists per game, making the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team.[18]

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.[19] 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.[20] At the 2023 FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Spain, she averaged 10 points, 5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game en route to a gold medal.[21]

In 3x3 basketball, Rice won a gold medal with the United States at the FIBA 3x3 Under-18 World Cup in Hungary.[9]

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.[15]

On October 31, 2022, Rice signed a name, image and likeness deal with Jordan Brand, becoming the first athlete to do so.[22]

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. Moon, Francis (July 20, 2022). "Women's basketball's Kiki Rice earns Gatorade high school athlete of year award". Daily Bruin. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  9. Drumwright, Steve (June 15, 2022). "Women's U18 Point Guard Kiki Rice Grows into Leading Role with National Team". USA Basketball. Red Line Editorial. Archived from the original on June 18, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  10. "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.
  11. "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.
  12. "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.
  13. "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.
  14. Stephens, Mitch (June 7, 2022). "Kiki Rice named 2021-22 MaxPreps National Female High School Athlete of the Year". MaxPreps. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  15. 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.
  16. Nguyen, Thuc Nhi (November 7, 2022). "Kiki Rice shines in collegiate debut as UCLA defeats Cal Poly". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  17. Carlson, Gavin (March 3, 2023). "16-point comeback over Stanford grants UCLA women's basketball Pac-12 final bid". Daily Bruin. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  18. Hruby, Emma (April 19, 2023). "UCLA turns into scary contender with addition of Lauren Betts". Just Women's Sports. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  19. "Kira Rice (USA)'s profile – FIBA U16 Women's Americas Championship 2019". FIBA. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  20. "Rice wins MVP; De Oliveira, Todd, McMahon, Tribouley, headline All-Star Five". FIBA. June 20, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  21. Kirschenbaum, Alex (August 7, 2023). "UCLA Women's Basketball: Dynamic Bruins Duo Discusses Star Turn In Summer FIBA Play". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  22. DePaula, Nick (October 31, 2022). "UCLA's Kiki Rice lands Jordan Brand's first name, image and likeness deal". Andscape. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
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