United boost from Rice power

Despite missing the first two games of the 2024 season, Jada Rice has quickly found her feet with Geelong United.

The 6’4” centre scored 17 points and pulled down eight rebounds in her first game on April 20, a win over Frankston, and followed it up with 20 points and eight rebounds in Geelong’s loss to Dandenong last weekend.

“I think I just fit so well with the girls, so I’ve not had that hard of a time adjusting, but obviously we still need that time to build chemistry on the court and off the court,” Rice said.

Geelong United is 1-4 heading into round 5 and will be looking to get a couple of wins on the board with a double header against Mt Gambier at home on Saturday night, followed by a road game against Kilsyth on Sunday.

Rice brings a big inside presence to Geelong this year, and is eager to help guide the team to more success after winning an NBL1 Central championship with Norwood (SA) in 2023.

“I really like the whole system of basketball in Australia, so I for sure wanted to come back,” Rice said. “I just thought Geelong would be a better fit for me, I wanted to play with some players a little bit more experienced.”

After experiencing the thrill of victory against Frankston Blues at the Geelong Arena two weeks ago, Rice is looking forward to getting back to playing in front of a home crowd this weekend.

“I’m the type of player who loves to feed off the crowd, so when I see that crowd, and every time something good is happening they are just as hype as we are on the court, I absolutely love that and appreciate that,” she said.