Friday, March 29

UCLA women’s basketball recruit Kiki Rice earns Gatorade Player of the Year award


Guard Kiki Rice, the No. 2 recruit in the class of 2022, smiles at a laptop screen as she is virtually surprised by four-time WNBA champion and current Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird with the Gatorade National Player of the Year award Wednesday. (Courtesy of Gatorade)


Candace Parker. Maya Moore. Lisa Leslie. Skylar Diggins-Smith.

Now, add Kiki Rice to the list of players to be named the Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

For the first time in UCLA women’s basketball history, an incoming recruit has earned the accolade, which honors the top high school player among almost half a million student-athletes across the nation.

Rice, a senior at Sidwell Friends School, won the award for her efforts both on and off the court, as it takes academic excellence and personal character into consideration in addition to a player’s achievements on the hardwood.

During the 2021-2022 season, the 5-foot-11 guard led her team to a 28-0 record and a state championship while putting up 15.8 points, seven rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.6 steals per game. Already named the Naismith High School Player of the Year in March, Rice committed to UCLA in early November.

The highest-ranked recruit to ever commit to the program, Rice said she was not only impressed by the Bruins’ coaching staff and players but was also enamored with the thought of leading a prestigious school to its first NCAA championship in women’s basketball.

“(At UCLA), every day I’m going to be surrounded by an incredible group of coaches. I’m going to learn a ton and players are going to push me every day,” Rice said. “Just the prospect of being able to bring a first national championship to a program was something that was really intriguing to me.”

(Courtesy of Jason Chauvin)
Women’s basketball commit Kiki Rice holds a trophy for Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year. Rice is the highest-ranked UCLA women’s basketball recruit in program history and the first to win both the Naismith and Gatorade player of the year honors. (Courtesy of Gatorade)

But according to coach Cori Close, who recruited the guard in 2021, off the court is where Rice truly separates herself from the rest. Hours after Rice won the award, Close said the future Bruin surprised her coaches, trainers and mentors as a way to say thank you to the people who helped build her up.

“That’s the kind of human she is – that it’s not enough just to have the recognition herself,” Close said. “It’s an opportunity to say thank you. It’s an opportunity to make an impact on others.”

Rice has also spent time volunteering both in her school community as a mentor for younger students at Sidwell Friends and for her city through the nonprofit organization So Others Might Eat.

As the No. 2 recruit in 2022, according to ESPN, Rice heads a UCLA recruiting class that ranks atop the nation. Coming to Westwood next season alongside her are three more top-50 prospects in No. 19 Gabriela Jaquez, No. 22 Londynn Jones and No. 49 Christeen Iwuala.

Following a season littered with injuries and COVID-19-related setbacks, the Bruins are currently advancing through the Women’s National Invitation Tournament – most recently with a 16-point win over Air Force in the second round Sunday – after missing out on an NCAA Tournament bid for the first time since the 2014-2015 season.

But history shows that a WNIT championship can signal future success. Two of the three most recent title winners – Arizona and Indiana – each reached at least the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament in 2021, with the Wildcats finishing as the runners-up.

Close said there is no doubt Rice will play a significant role in the rebuilding of UCLA’s winning culture.

“The thing I love about her the most is that she cares about winning,” Close said. “She cares about making a program better. She cares about coming to UCLA and cutting down nets.”

Despite the national recognition she’s already receiving, Rice said she’s still hungry for more, not only as an individual but for her future teammates and the future of women’s basketball as a sport.

“(Winning Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year) is just another motivating factor that will help me throughout these next four years in college,” Rice said. “I’m just looking forward to hoping to continue to fight for equality and to help the next generation coming up not have to go through the same thing that I’ve had to.”

As the fourth Bruin to earn the award in either men’s or women’s basketball – with the previous three winners being former UCLA men’s basketball guards Baron Davis and Jrue Holiday as well as forward Kevin Love – Close said Rice’s arrival to Westwood may mark a turning point in her team’s legacy and national recognition.

“I do believe our community is going to really be excited about watching this team moving forward,” Close said. “Obviously, Kiki Rice is leading the way in that.”

Sports senior staff

Moon is currently a Sports senior staff writer. He was previously an assistant Sports editor on the women's basketball, men's soccer, track and field and cross country beats and a contributor on the women's basketball and women's tennis beats, while also contributing for Arts. He is a fourth-year molecular, cell and developmental biology student.


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