Travis Trice

Travis Trice Jr.^[1][2] (born January 22, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Cairns Taipans of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans, leading his team in points during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season.^[3] He attended Wayne High School in Huber Heights, Ohio, where he played under his father, Travis Trice Sr.

Early life

Trice was born on January 22, 1993 to Travis, Sr. and Julie Trice. In Julie's 41st week of pregnancy, her son's heartbeat flatlined and she was immediately rushed in for a C-section operation. Her pregnancy marked the abrupt end of her successful high school track career and a potential athletics scholarship to University of North Carolina at Wilmington.^[4] She later said, "People were telling me I should get an abortion after I got pregnant. People have been saying 'No, no, no, no, no' to him forever."^[5] She had her son at about 18 years of age, while she was a senior in high school and her husband was still attending college.^[4] According to Washington Post, Trice was born with "the umbilical cord tangled around his ankles," but survived.^[4]

Travis fell in love with basketball at a young age, but also actively played baseball and football in his childhood. He said, "I liked baseball, but I didn't like all the standing around."^[6] Trice officially began basketball in middle school, after watching his friends play on the team.^[6] He played quarterback in middle school football, but was strongly compared to his friend Braxton Miller. His mother recalled the situation to the Detroit Free Press, "No, you aren't big enough. No, you aren't quick enough. You're a good middle school quarterback, but not as good as your best friend."^[5] Miller would go on to play football at a high level for the Ohio State Buckeyes.^[7]

High school career

Trice attended Wayne High School in Huber Heights, Ohio. He averaged 16.5 points per game as a sophomore in 2009, garnering all-district and all-conference honors. The guard saw considerable improvement in the junior year that followed. In his third season playing for Wayne, Trice averaged 22.1 points, 4.9 assists, and 4.2 steals, shooting 43% from long range. He would be named district underclassman of the year on two occasions and conference player of the year. He also was a third-team All-State honoree. Trice saw even more success as a senior in 2011. After averaging 23.5 points, 6.5 assists, 4.3 steals, and 3.3 rebounds in his final season in a Wayne uniform, he was named Gatorade Ohio Boys' Basketball Player of the Year. The point guard also earned first-team All-State and District Player of the Year accolades. He shot .481 from the field and .425 on three-pointers. Trice's contributions helped the Warriors reach a 22-2 record and a district finals appearance by the end of the season. He went on to become the school's all-time leading scorer, recording a total of 1,555 points representing the Warriors.^[8]

Upon completion of his high school years, Trice was listed as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com.^[9] Scout.com gave him two stars, while ESPN ranked him as the 55th best point guard in the Class of 2011. Rivals scout Brian Snow commented on his strong play with his Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) program, "Trice is the huge x-factor for them. In the semi-finals there is absolutely no way that SYF gets past King James if not for the play of Trice. He was making shots, getting to the rim, and setting up teammates very well."^[10]

Trice's small size came across as the biggest drawback. However, Michigan State men's basketball head coach Tom Izzo began recruiting him after noticing him on Branden Dawson's AAU team. Dawson, who would later become Trice's teammate with the Spartans, was a far more touted prospect.^[11] Izzo commented on Trice, who stood 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) and 160 lbs (73 kg) at the time, saying he was "too skinny" and "too small." He also said, "He was too this and too that. But, unbelievable family, a dad who's a coach, just an ability to win."^[11] Trice verbally committed to Michigan State on August 4, 2010, despite receiving offers from Butler, Creighton, Dayton, Minnesota, Northern Iowa, Northwestern, Penn State, and Richmond.^[12] His family had visited the university in the days prior and heard from Izzo that Trice would likely be a significant part of the team as a freshman. The point guard said to the Lansing State Journal, "I took it as hard work pays off, and I'm a hard worker. Throughout the whole day I (thought) this is too good to be true...I got to spend time with the (players) and watched them work out. I was like 'Man, I could see myself here.'"^[12] Gary native and five-star forward Dawson committed to the same program on August 5 as well.^[12]

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Travis Trice PG	Dayton, Ohio	Wayne	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	Aug 4, 2010
	Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 90
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 110 (SF)
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Michigan St Spartans 2011 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 31, 2015.  "2011 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 31, 2015.

Collegiate career

On October 30, 2011, Trice made his debut for Michigan State in an exhibition game against Ferris State University, a Division II school in the field of basketball. The guard recorded 7 points and 4 rebounds in 18 minutes.^[13] After the Spartans topped the Bulldogs with a score of 85-58, coach Tom Izzo commented on his freshmen's play. About Trice, he said, "Today I jumped Travis a little bit. I watched [Draymond Green] go right over and put his arm around him and talk to him."^[14] Trice made his first official appearance with the team on November 11, 2011, in a Carrier Classic showdown vs North Carolina. He was allowed 20 minutes on the court, but 1-of-8 shooting limited him to 4 points throughout the game.^[15] He went for 11 points and 5 rebounds off the bench the following week on November 18 against Texas Southern, the most he had scored in a single college basketball game until that point in time.^[16][17] However, on December 7 of the same year, in a home contest vs Central Connecticut, he broke that record, adding 20 points despite not being a starter. Izzo noted, "When you really look at it, Trice looked good...give Travis credit."^[18] He would hold the number as his season-high scoring performance.^[17] He suffered from an brain infection as a freshman that drained his energy and caused him to sleep 12 hours a day.^[4]

In December 2013, trainer Quinton Sawyer removed a blister on Trice's foot. When the pain didn't subside, it was discovered that there was another blister underneath it. “As soon as I cut that one open, I felt great,” Trice said. He shot 43.4 percent on 3-pointers as a junior, third best in the Big 10.^[19]

As a senior, Trice enjoyed a breakout season, averaging a team-high 15.3 points per game and dished out team-high 197 assists. He helped lead Michigan State to the Final Four that year.^[20] Trice was a Third Team All-Big Ten honoree.^[21] After defeating the Louisville Cardinals in the Elite Eight, Trice was named East Region Most Outstanding Player.^[4]

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2015 NBA draft, Trice joined the Miami Heat for 2015 NBA Summer League.^[22] On September 22, 2015, he signed with the New York Knicks.^[23] However, he was later waived by the Knicks on October 23 after appearing in two preseason games.^[24] On November 2, 2015, he was acquired by the Westchester Knicks of the NBA Development League as an affiliate player of New York.^[25] In 51 games for Westchester in 2015–16, he averaged 15.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game.^[26]

On August 5, 2016, Trice signed with the Cairns Taipans for the 2016–17 NBL season.^[27] On November 27, 2016, he scored a season-high 31 points in a 91–80 win over the New Zealand Breakers.^[28]

Personal

Trice is the son of Travis Trice, Sr., who played two years of basketball with Purdue and Butler. Trice's father is currently the head coach at his son's alma mater, Huber Heights' Wayne High School. On March 28, 2015, Trice, Sr. led them to a Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) Division I title, with a victory over Westerville South High School.^[29][30] When he was in high school himself, growing up in Princeton, Indiana, he was one of the best point guards in the Class of 1990. At Butler, he would play under Barry Collier and Thad Matta, turning down offers to play with Tim Duncan at Wake Forest and for John Calipari and with Marcus Camby at Massachusetts. Trice, Sr. declined a scholarship offer from Lute Olson at the University of Arizona primarily because superstar Khalid Reeves had accepted just before.^[5]

Trice, Jr.'s grandfather, Bob Pritchett, competed at the same level for Vincennes University and Old Dominion.^[8] On April 29, 2008, Pritchett was inducted into the Old Dominion University Sports Hall of Fame. With the Monarchs, he scored 1,188 career points in 50 games, also breaking the school's single-game scoring record against the Richmond Professional Institute, with 67 points.^[31] Pritchett was brought up in Princeton, Indiana, the same city as his son-in-law, Travis Trice, Sr.^[5] Trice, Jr's uncle, his mother's brother, Matt Pritchett, played left tackle at the United States Naval Academy from 2005 to 2006. His father's cousin, Jackie Young, is one of the most coveted high school recruits in the nation, competing for Princeton High School in Princeton, Indiana. She chose to play basketball for Notre Dame.^[5]

References

External links

• Travis Trice at nbadleague.com
• Travis Trice at msuspartans.com