BIO: Travis Trice was born in Springfield, Ohio (USA).

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 on 30/12/1899. He scored two points in his first game.

After finishing sixth with a 12-16 record and missing the playoffs the previous season, Cairns returned under head coach Aaron Fearne with Cameron Gliddon remaining captain. Markel Starks (to Cremona), Torrey Craig (to Brisbane), Shaun Bruce (to Brisbane), Cameron Tragardh (released), Matt Burston (not re-signed) and Jack White (to Duke) departed, while Mark Worthington, Alex Loughton, Stephen Weigh and Damon Heuir returned. Nathan Jawai (via Perth) returned to his hometown club, Jarrad Weeks (via Illawarra) joined the backcourt and Fuquan Edwin (via Ironi Nes Ziona), Nnanna Egwu (via Erie) and Mitchell McCarron (via Palencia) were added.

Travis Trice (via Westchester) signed a one-year deal with Cairns on August 5 as the Taipans’ first import after spending the previous season with the Westchester Knicks in the NBA D-League. His preseason was restricted by a knee injury, leaving Fearne to ease him back into the rotation ahead of the opening round.

Cairns opened the season against Perth at Perth Arena on October 8, where Trice (2 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals) played 23 minutes off the bench and struggled from the field as the Taipans lost 84-74 in overtime. Gliddon (20 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Egwu (14 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 block) led Cairns, while Jaron Johnson (26 points and 5 rebounds) and Casey Prather (23 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists) led Perth.

Trice (14.6 points, 3.5 assists, and 1.2 steals across 26 games) developed into Cairns’ leading scorer and primary playmaker, appearing in 24 of the Taipans’ 28 regular-season games and both semifinals while starting 24 times. He led Cairns in scoring, assists and steals, with a hip injury accounting for all four regular-season games he missed. The Taipans went 13-9 in his 22 regular-season starts and 2-4 across the six games where he was either unavailable or came from the bench.

His first major performance came against Melbourne at the Cairns Convention Centre on October 27, where Trice (28 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, and 1 steal) made 10-of-15 shots and 6-of-7 free throws as Cairns defeated United 83-75 for its first win after opening the season 0-3. Worthington (14 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists) and Edwin (12 points and 8 rebounds) provided support, while Ramone Moore (15 points) led Melbourne. Having been limited by the knee injury during the preseason, Trice admitted, “It was just really confidence and trust that I wasn’t going to hurt it with what I was doing.”

Three days later Trice (12 points and 1 assist) helped Cairns defeat Illawarra 98-83 at the WIN Entertainment Centre before leaving after a heavy fall during the third quarter and not returning. Edwin (15 points and 2 steals) and Worthington (15 points and 3 assists) led six Taipans in double figures, while Marvelle Harris (19 points and 4 rebounds) and AJ Ogilvy (13 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks) were Illawarra’s best. The victory was Cairns’ first on the road in 364 days, but a hip injury then ruled Trice out of the next four games against Sydney twice, New Zealand and Brisbane.

Trice returned against Melbourne on November 18 with 10 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal in 16 minutes as he worked his way back into Fearne’s rotation.

His best game came against New Zealand at the Cairns Convention Centre on November 27, where Trice (31 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals) made 12-of-17 shots and four of five three-pointers as Cairns defeated the Breakers 91-80. Jawai (17 points) and Gliddon (12 points, 4 assists, and 4 steals) provided support, while Kirk Penney (18 points and 4 assists) and Akil Mitchell (16 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals) led New Zealand. Trice completed a four-point play with 1:47 remaining as Cairns held off the Breakers’ fourth-quarter comeback, with Fearne saying, “It helps that you have somebody that can just make plays.”

With Cairns sitting 9-11 and fighting for a playoff position, Edwin (8.1 points and 3.5 rebounds across 20 games) (to Prishtina) was released on January 19 for personal reasons. Tony Mitchell (8.6 points across 10 games) (via Hapoel Eilat) was signed the following day as his replacement with eight regular-season games remaining, allowing him to meet the NBL’s requirement to be registered for at least 25 percent of the regular season to remain eligible for the playoffs.

“We obviously need some scoring punch, and that’s what we’re hoping he’ll give us,” Fearne said.

Trice produced another of his best games against Brisbane at the Cairns Convention Centre on January 29, finishing with 27 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal while making 8-of-11 shots and five of six three-pointers as the Taipans defeated the Bullets 97-83. Worthington (14 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Mitchell (12 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 block) provided support, while Jeremy Kendle (24 points and 2 steals) and Craig (22 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) led Brisbane. The victory was Cairns’ third in a row and moved the Taipans to 12-12 with four regular-season games remaining.

Gliddon (10.6 points, 3.1 assists, and 1.2 steals across 30 games) remained a key two-way presence as captain, while Jawai (10.1 points and 4.3 rebounds across 29 games) provided the interior scoring. Worthington (9.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists across 28 games) announced on January 22 that he would retire at the end of the season and received the Members’ Choice MVP award, while McCarron (7.2 points and 3.8 rebounds across 29 games), Loughton (6.6 points across 26 games), Weeks (6.3 points across 30 games), Weigh (5.4 points across 29 games) and Egwu (5.1 points and 3.7 rebounds across 30 games) provided the other major contributions. Trice received Cairns’ Most Valuable Player award, Egwu received the Coaches’ Award, Heuir (3 points across 18 games) was named Players’ Player and McCarron received the Best Defensive Player and Commitment to Community awards.

Cairns completed the regular season in Adelaide on February 11, where Trice (18 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists) led the Taipans to a 98-89 victory over the league-leading 36ers. Gliddon (16 points and 5 assists) and Weeks (16 points and 4 assists) provided support, while Jerome Randle (24 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists) led Adelaide. The win was Cairns’ sixth from its final seven games and completed a 15-13 regular season, securing second place and home-court advantage for the semifinals.

Cairns opened its semifinal series against defending champion Perth at the Cairns Convention Centre on February 17, where Trice (15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals) led the Taipans but the Wildcats won 91-69. Worthington (11 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block) provided support for Cairns, while Bryce Cotton (34 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals) and Prather (22 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals) powered Perth to a 1-0 series lead.

Game two moved to Perth Arena on February 20, where Trice (22 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal) scored 14 of Cairns’ 22 first-half points as the Taipans attempted to keep their season alive. Mitchell (17 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 steal) and Egwu (9 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals) provided support, while Prather (24 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Jesse Wagstaff (20 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals) led Perth. With 34 seconds remaining, Matthew Knight was later charged with unduly rough play following an incident with Trice, pleaded guilty, was fined $1,000, received a two-game penalty suspended until the end of the 2017/18 season and was ordered to provide Trice with a written apology. Worthington (3 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block) played his 335th and final NBL game as Perth defeated Cairns 74-66 and completed the 2-0 semifinal sweep.

BRISBANE BULLETS
2017/18
After finishing eighth with a 10-18 record in their first season back in the NBL, Brisbane entered 2017/18 under head coach Andrej Lemanis with Adam Gibson remaining captain. Torrey Craig (to Denver), Jermaine Beal (to Israel) and Jeremy Kendle (to South West Metro) departed, while Daniel Kickert, Gibson, Tom Jervis, Anthony Petrie, Reuben Te Rangi and Mitch Young returned. Cameron Bairstow remained sidelined while recovering from the ACL injury suffered the previous season, while Lemanis added Perrin Buford (via Italy) and Stephen Holt (via Czech Republic).

Brisbane was also selected to take part in the first NBLxNBA series, travelling to Phoenix to face the Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena on October 13. Trice (20 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal) led Brisbane, while Jervis (13 points and 6 rebounds), Buford (11 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 steals) and Kickert (10 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) also contributed, but Devin Booker (31 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists) led Phoenix to a 114-93 win.
Watch Brisbane Bullets vs Phoenix Suns replay

Brisbane opened the season against defending champions Perth at Perth Arena on October 7, where Trice (27 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal) immediately led the Bullets’ offence, but the Wildcats won 96-86. Kickert (18 points) and Buford (13 points and 5 rebounds) provided support, while Bryce Cotton (24 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists) led Perth.

Trice (15.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.3 steals across 27 games) had joined Brisbane (via Cairns) on a one-year deal after winning the Taipans’ club MVP the previous season and playing for Milwaukee at NBA Summer League. Assistant coach CJ Bruton watched him in Las Vegas, with Lemanis saying, “I like the way Travis played.”

Hometown prospect Will Magnay (via Tulsa University) joined Brisbane in October on a three-year deal as a development player. Magnay (2.2 points across 6 games) saw limited court time during his first NBL season.

Trice (32 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal) produced his best scoring game at WIN Entertainment Centre on December 31, making six three-pointers while Brisbane played without injured leading scorer Perrin Buford, but Illawarra won 104-82 behind Demitrius Conger (24 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 steals). Kickert (16 points and 8 rebounds) and Holt (12 points) were Brisbane’s next-best scorers as the Bullets suffered their third consecutive loss and fell to second-last.

Five days later in Cairns, Trice (26 points and 5 assists) and Kickert (27 points and 8 rebounds) helped Brisbane recover from a 17-point deficit, but the Taipans held on 83-80 after Trice’s late heave rimmed out on the final possession. Jervis (10 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals) provided support, while Alex Loughton (22 points) led Cairns, handing the Bullets their fourth consecutive loss and further damaging their playoff hopes.

An elbow injury kept Trice out against Melbourne on February 3, his only absence of the season.

Buford (15.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 1.3 blocks across 22 games) led Brisbane in scoring and rebounding before requesting his release in February to pursue an opportunity in Europe, with the club saying he was no longer committed to the team. Kickert (13.8 points and 4.7 rebounds across 26 games) again completed a 50-40-90 season, while Jervis (10.2 points and 4.6 rebounds across 24 games), Holt (9.7 points and 3.1 rebounds across 28 games), Te Rangi (7.3 points across 26 games), Gibson (7.3 points and 3.5 assists across 24 games) and Petrie (5.9 points across 16 games) were Brisbane’s other main contributors. Trice was named Brisbane’s club MVP and finished 11th in NBL MVP voting with 58 votes.

Brisbane closed the season at Titanium Security Arena on February 17, where Trice (20 points) led the Bullets but Adelaide won 105-82, with Holt (12 points and 3 rebounds) and Shaun Bruce (9 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) providing support, while Majok Deng (20 points and 3 steals) led the 36ers, leaving Brisbane in eighth place with a 9-19 record.

Travis Trice played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Brisbane Bullets and the Cairns Taipans. He averaged 15.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in 53 NBL games.