Rice's goal is "to try and be the best player I can be"

Second-year forward making a real contribution to hoop Axewomen 

By John DeCoste '77

The basketball Axewomen are off to a disappointing 2-5 start to the season, but according to second-year forward Kelsey Rice, "we know where we have to improve" to be better the rest of the way.

It would appear the Axewomen are already improving, if an 87-66 win over Dalhousie Nov. 24 in Wolfville, their final game before the Christmas break, is any indication.

In fact, one might argue Acadia's record thus far is somewhat misleading. Their first four regular season games were against Saint Mary's and Cape Breton – as of Nov. 24, the top two teams in the AUBC. Two of Acadia's five losses had been by two points or less, and two had come in overtime.

Rice, 19, a second-year forward from Beaverbank, N.S. and a graduate of Lockview High School, has started Acadia's last five games in place of the injured Emily MacLeod.

And while she acknowledges she doesn't have MacLeod's skill set or the experience of the fourth-year veteran - at least not yet - she has quietly been making an impact, scoring in double figures her last three starts, capped by a 17-point, nine-rebound performance in the win over the Tigers.

The 17 points represented her season high. She had 11 rebounds, seven of them offensive, in a 61-58 win over UPEI Nov. 18. Along with an average of 7.7 points per game, she was tied for second in the conference with 21 offensive rebounds and tied for fifth with 49 total rebounds.

"We could have had a better start," Rice said Nov. 23, but she believes she and her teammates have turned the corner, and will improve further when MacLeod returns to the lineup.

"I've been filling Emily's spot," she said, "and I have a major spot to fill. She's a great player, both offensively and defensively."

Rice is aware she still needs to improve on the offensive side of the ball. Of course, the best scenario would be to have both Rice and MacLeod healthy and able to play. Hopefully that will be the case in the New Year.

Rice grew up playing minor basketball, junior high and high school, as well as playing on provincial teams from U-14 to U-19. She also competed for Nova Scotia, as a 16-year-old, at the 2013 Canada Games in Quebec, where she first got to meet, and play for, current Axewomen coach Len Harvey.

Rice knew she wanted to attend university and play basketball at that level. She considered UPEI, but was also recruited by then-Acadia head coach Bev Greenlaw, and on her first visit, fell in love with Acadia and Wolfville.

"I loved the atmosphere on campus, the town of Wolfville, and the chemistry on the basketball team," she said. "I really felt I could fit in here."

She added, "I knew Coach Greenlaw was leaving, and I didn't know who the new coach would be, but I was really keen on coming here, so it didn't matter."

As it turned out, Rice and the rest of the Axewomen "really lucked out" when Harvey was hired. Not only were they already familiar to each other, "he's definitely a great coach for our group, and I feel he's changed the atmosphere on the team as well."

Rice, who stands "about 5-10 and a half," plays forward for Acadia, and has shown a proficiency for rebounding, especially on the offensive end of the floor. She has developed both a great sense of timing and the ability to be in the right place at the right time to grab rebounds.

"People ask me if there's secret to being a good rebounder. I really have no idea. It's mostly being in the right place at the right time, and not being afraid to be aggressive."

When she was younger, Rice "played everywhere" on the court. It was playing provincial ball, and on the Canada Games team, that forced her to settle on a position.

"Coming here and knowing what position I was expected to play, I could focus on that. University is a lot different from high school. Here, you play your position and trust your teammates to do their job, and they do it."

Rice acknowledged she "takes pride in my rebounding," though she "doesn't know why it is" that she is so effective. "It was always part of my game in high school, and began to show more when I played provincial ball" and on the Canada Games team.

Rice admitted the season so far "has been tough at times," especially compared to a year ago when the Axewomen started the regular season with 15 straight victories.

In particular, "the UNB game (an 84-82 overtime loss) was disappointing. Once it went into overtime, it could have gone either way," and came down to a pair of free throws with three seconds to play.

She acknowledged, "it's a little tougher this year." Last season, "it was us who would have been making the final shot."

She added, "it's not necessarily that the other teams are better. We just need to play our game. We're kind of holding off," but on the other hand, "we're focusing on what we need to do to improve. We need to play our game, rather than adjusting to how the other teams are playing."

Acadia has its strengths, including "team speed and some tremendous shooters." In fact, the Axewomen "have a little bit of everything," which usually makes them tough for other teams to match up against.

"This is only the beginning," she said. "There's still lots of season left. Hopefully we'll all be fresh and ready to go after the break."

Acadia would certainly benefit from the return of MacLeod, both in terms of experience and team depth, and also from having Katie Ross full-time now that the soccer season is over.

"I can see us continuing to improve the rest of the way," she said. "We have the blueprint, in what we were able to do for most of last season."

Rice has always been known for her physical and mental toughness. She said she gets that from her mom, Irene, who "was my coach from junior mini up to my last year in midget.

"She was always a tough coach, and she always wanted what was best for her teams. She's been a positive influence for me, and that has continued since I've been here at Acadia. I always benefited from her coaching, and she's been a real role model for me."

Rice is studying kinesiology, which is "a great program. I love it." She is thinking about going into occupational therapy once she finishes her first degree. "I like that it's about helping people who aren't able to do things in their daily lives. That's what I want to do."

She will likely be able to think about graduating in the spring of 2018. She acknowledged she "may end up playing five years. We'll see what happens."

Among other things, she tends to play the game hard, putting her body on the line. "Hopefully my body holds out" and she can manage to avoid serious injury.

As for outside activities, Rice said she is "trying to focus on school, and of course basketball, this year. Maybe in my third and fourth years, I'll be able to think more about extracurricular activities."

On the court, her goal is "to improve my overall skills, be the best player I can be and the biggest asset I can be to the team. Whatever I can improve, I want to do it."