BIO: Trice was born on January 22, 1993 in in Springfield, Ohio (USA) to Travis, Sr. and Julie Trice. His mother Julie’s pregnancy marked the abrupt end of her successful high school track career and a potential athletics scholarship to University of North Carolina at Wilmington. She later said, “People were telling me I should get a abortion after I got pregnant. People have been saying ‘No, no, no, no, no’ to him forever.” 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.

In Julie’s 41st week of pregnancy, Travis’ heartbeat flatlined and she was immediately rushed in for a C-section operation. According to Washington Post, Trice was born with “the umbilical cord tangled around his ankles,” but survived.

Trice and attended Wayne High School in Huber Heights, Ohio, where he played under his father, Travis Trice Sr. He averaged 16.5 points per game as a sophomore in 2009, garnering all-district and all-conference honours. 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.

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.

FAMILY: 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.

His younger brother D’Mitrik Trice plays basketball for the Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball team.

Trice, Jr.’s grandfather, Bob Pritchett, competed at the same level for Vincennes University and Old Dominion. On April 29, 2008, Pritchett was inducted into the Old Dominion University Sports Hall of Fame.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Travis Trice made his NBL debut with the Cairns Taipans at 23 years of age. He scored two points in his first game.

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

In 26 games for the Taipans, he averaged 14.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game and at season’s end he was named Taipans team MVP.

On July 5, 2017, Trice signed with the Brisbane Bullets for the 2017/18 NBL season.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by NBL (@nbl)

On July 21, 2021, Trice signed with the Illawarra Hawks for the 2021/22 NBL season however due to his refusal to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. He was later released by the Hawks on September 21, 2021.

Travis Trice played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Cairns Taipans and the Brisbane Bullets. He averaged 15.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 52 NBL games.

Dan Boyce (815 Posts)

Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.