Rayvonte Rice facts for kids
Rice playing for Illinois in 2014
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| Free agent | |
|---|---|
| Shooting guard / point guard | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | July 14, 1992 Champaign, Illinois, U.S. |
| High school | Centennial (Champaign, Illinois) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 240 lb (109 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College |
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| NBA Draft | 2015 / Undrafted |
| Pro career | 2015–present |
| Career history | |
| 2015–2016 | Tezenis Verona |
| 2017 | Aix Maurienne Savoie |
| 2017–2018 | Basket Ravenna |
| 2018 | Petrochimi Bandar Imam |
| 2018–2019 | Soles de Mexicali |
| 2019 | Avtodor Saratov |
| 2019–2020 | Hapoel Eilat |
| 2020 | Ironi Ness Ziona |
| 2020–2021 | Kyoto Hannaryz |
| 2021–2022 | Ionikos Nikaias |
| 2022 | Salt Lake City Stars |
| 2022 | Indios de San Francisco de Macorís |
| 2023 | Brampton Honey Badgers |
| 2023 | Taichung Suns |
| 2024 | Kaohsiung 17LIVE Steelers |
| 2024 | Liaoning Flying Leopards |
| 2024 | Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots |
| 2024–2025 | Guangdong Southern Tigers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Rayvonte De'Tra Rice was born on July 14, 1992. He is an American professional basketball player. He last played for the Guangdong Southern Tigers in China. Rayvonte is a guard from Champaign, Illinois. He played college basketball at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Before that, he played for Drake University from 2010 to 2012.
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High School Basketball Journey
Rayvonte Rice played basketball at Centennial High School in Champaign. In 2009, during his junior year, he helped his team win the 3A IHSA Boys Basketball Championship. They beat Oswego High School 61–59.
In his senior year (2010), Rice was amazing. He scored about 23.9 points per game. He also grabbed 6.4 rebounds, made 2.9 steals, and had 1.8 assists per game. He led his team back to the state tournament, where they finished fourth.
Rayvonte was a top player in Illinois. He was named to the 2010 Illinois All-American Team. This team was chosen by important sports groups like the Associated Press. He was also named the 2010 News-Gazette All-State Player of the Year. He was the first player from his area to win this award since 1984.
When he left Centennial High School, Rayvonte Rice was the all-time leading scorer. He scored 1,810 points in his high school career. This was a record for both his school and the entire Champaign-Urbana high school area.
College Basketball Career
Rayvonte Rice played college basketball for two different universities.
Playing for Drake University
Rayvonte started his college career at Drake University. He made a big impact right away in his first year (freshman season).
- He played in 31 games.
- He scored 13.8 points per game.
- He shot over 40% from the field.
Because of his great play, he was named to the 2011 Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman Team. He also made the All-Newcomers Team.
In his second year (sophomore season) at Drake, Rayvonte got even better.
- He averaged 16.8 points per game.
- He shot about 44% from the field.
After this season, he was named to the 2012 Second-Team Missouri Valley Conference.
After his sophomore year, Rayvonte decided to transfer from Drake. He chose to go to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He liked that Coach John Groce had tried to recruit him before. Due to NCAA rules, he had to sit out the 2012-2013 season. During this time, he worked hard on his fitness. He lost 45 pounds and became very strong.
Playing for Illinois University
Rayvonte joined the Illinois Fighting Illini for the 2013-2014 season (junior year).
- He was named Big Ten Player of the Week twice.
- He led the conference in scoring, averaging 19 points per game early in the season.
In his senior year (2014-2015), Rayvonte continued to shine.
- He won the Las Vegas Tournament MVP award.
- He greatly improved his three-point shooting, going from 29% to 44%.
- He hit a game-winning shot against Missouri in the "Braggin' Rights" game.
Even though he missed some games due to injury, he improved in many areas. He shot better, made more free throws (80%), and averaged more rebounds, steals, assists, and points than his junior year. He was one of the top scorers and rebounders in the Big Ten conference. He was named Co-Most Outstanding Player for the Illini, sharing the award with teammate Nnanna Egwu.
Professional Basketball Career
After college, Rayvonte Rice began his professional basketball career.
Early Professional Teams
- On July 29, 2015, he signed his first professional contract with Tezenis Verona in Italy.
- He played for Basket Ravenna Piero Manetti in Italy during the 2017–18 season. He averaged 18.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
- In September 2018, he joined Petrochimi Bandar Imam BC in Iran.
- In July 2019, he played with the Phoenix Suns in the 2019 NBA Summer League.
Moving Around the World
Rayvonte Rice has played for many teams in different countries:
- In September 2019, he signed with Avtodor Saratov in Russia.
- In December 2019, he moved to Hapoel Eilat in Israel.
- On July 15, 2020, he signed with Kyoto Hannaryz in Japan.
- In December 2021, he joined Ionikos Nikaias in Greece.
- In January 2022, he moved to the NBA G League and was acquired by the Salt Lake City Stars.
- In January 2023, he played for the Brampton Honey Badgers in Canada.
- On February 10, 2023, he signed with the Taichung Suns in Taiwan.
- On January 4, 2024, he signed with the Kaohsiung 17LIVE Steelers in Taiwan.
- In June 2024, he joined the Liaoning Flying Leopards in China.
- On September 22, 2024, he signed with the Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots in the Philippines. He was later replaced on September 26.
- On December 24, 2024, he signed with the Guangdong Southern Tigers in China. His contract ended on January 4, 2025.
Personal Life and Interests
Growing up in Champaign, Rayvonte Rice looked up to famous Illinois basketball players. Some of his idols included Dee Brown and Deron Williams.
In high school, Rayvonte was also a talented football player. He played as a running back for the Centennial Chargers. His cousin, Mikel Leshoure, also played football for the Fighting Illini and later for the Detroit Lions in the NFL.
See also
In Spanish: Rayvonte Rice para niños
