A number of years ago at a Seattle Storm basketball camp, a little girl who was new to the sport was pulled aside for a little extra help.
That camp coach, a WNBA champ, posted a photo of the two of them on Facebook.
Arizona coach Adia Barnes and freshman guard Bria Rice have been linked since that day.
At that time, neither of them would have predicted that today they would be standing together on the same court at McKale Center.
And, it took a little while for Barnes and Rice to get here.
For Barnes, this was coming home to where she starred as one of the best women’s basketball players in UA history. She played professional basketball for 12 seasons in the WNBA and overseas, won a title with Seattle and was named to the Storm’s All-Decade team. She was a TV analyst and served on the Washington Huskies’ coaching staff.
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When Barnes was named the UA’s coach in April, Rice already had committed to Colorado.
The Buffaloes had undergone a coaching change, too, and Rice no longer felt comfortable there. Rice was released from her commitment, then became Barnes’ first signee.
“I think once I found out she was coaching at Arizona, I wanted to go here,” said Rice who has played 13 minutes in four of the UA’s six games this season. “It’s a good place for me and I already had a relationship with the coaching staff.
“It was crazy she remembered me. I mean, here is this superstar and she remembered me. I think she saw how hard I work, my dedication, and how I push through a lot of things.”
Barnes also saw a player who led Todd Beamer High School to third place in the Washington 4A State Championship, was twice on the all-city girls basketball team and the Tacoma News Tribune’s All-Area Basketball Player of the Year. In her senior year, she led the team in assists and steals with 3.4 assists per game and 2.4 steals per game during the regular season.
“I’m glad she’s here,” Barnes said. “And, I’m glad we have her for all four years as we have time to develop her. She’s going to get better every day.”
Rice was ranked the 30th best guard country in her class by ESPN and is known as a pesky defender.
“Defense has been my thing,” said Rice, who has pulled down two defensive rebounds. “I know that defense wins games. I like to stress them, be aggressive and take people out of their game.”
Since their first meeting years ago, Barnes has been telling Rice to be more confident on the court.
Before the season started, Barnes and her staff took the team ziplining to help build chemistry. This is just one of the many things Barnes is doing to strengthen relationships on this team. On that trip, Barnes gave each player a key with an inspiring word, one that speaks to how the coach sees that player.
Rice’s word? “Soar.”
“For me, it means the wings of freedom to soar and become the person I want to be,” said Rice. “I think (Barnes) wants me to have confidence in myself to soar to be the best I can be.”
Rice is still learning to fly. The former high school star is learning Barnes’ system and coming off the bench for a team packed with guards.
“I’m going from playing a lot to not,” said Rice. “Coming in everyone has the same speed, the same shot. I’m learning every day and taking it day-by-day and showing coach why I deserve to be in the same position.
“It’s hard coming off the bench. But, it doesn’t matter if I start — I have to bring my energy. I know I might be cold, but it motivates me to go hard for my team and do what the coach asks me to do. If I do that, she’ll look to me more.”
