After five years Tyrese Rice is back in Germany. After stops in Artland and Bavaria, the small point guard and former final MVP of the EuroLeague signed with Brose Bamberg. In an interview with SPOX, the playmaker talks about his goals with Upper Franconia, the magic of the Maccabi team of 2014 and his upcoming career end.
Today at 8 pm Brose Bamberg starts in the Basketball Champions League. All games will be broadcast live by DAZN.
SPOX: Mr. Rice, welcome back to Germany. Did you think you’d run into the BBL again?
Tyrese Rice: Thank you, it’s nice to be back. I could always imagine it, it was possible and it happened now.
SPOX: There was a small change of power in the BBL last year. After years of Bamberg dominance, the Bavarians are now the team to beat. How come you’re staying in Bamberg now?
Rice: I find a good situation here. If you just look at basketball, I think the decision makes a lot of sense. Here I have the opportunity to show once again that I still have what it takes and at the same time I am part of a great organization. Bamberg has a lot of tradition, not only in Germany, but also in Europe. Bamberg has made a good name for itself in the EuroLeague, even though we now play in the Basketball Champions League. I think we can play for the title there and I want to help the organization get the spotlight it deserves.
SPOX: Before Bamberg you also played for the Artland Dragons and the Bavarians. What do you think the BBL is about?
Rice: Of course, stability is always an important factor, especially for me with 31 years. I attach great importance to being able to rely on people. I can concentrate on basketball here and have nothing else to worry about. Here I made only good experiences and never had a problem. It’s just a perfect situation for me.
SPOX: You’ve played in Greece, Lithuania, Israel, Spain and China. What are the differences to the German basketball and do you see the BBL in general in the European standing?
Rice: The BBL has definitely improved a lot since I signed in Quakenbrück. Of course, there was a lot of competition with Bamberg, Oldenburg or ALBA Berlin, who were the constants at that time. But now there are many more teams that demand everything from you day after day. Of course, the players also notice this. Today, many more top players play in the BBL than five to ten years ago.
SPOX: You are addressing the increased competition in the league. What do you personally want to achieve with Brose Bamberg this season?
Rice: All I care about is winning. When you win, a lot of things go easier. Personal awards are nice, but I don’t need them anymore at this point in my career. I would never go to a team that is not able to play a title. We have a good group, a good coaching staff and of course a good management. That’s all you need to play at the top of both the BBL and the Basketball Champions League.
SPOX: When you came to the BBL, for example, you were one of the younger Dragons players. Now in Bamberg, you’re one of the few veterinarians to lead the youngsters.
Rice: I’m very familiar with it. I think I led my teams back then, just because I’m the Point Guard and they traditionally have to shoulder a lot of responsibility. So not much has changed. I will continue to talk a lot with my fellow players and try to be a role model. I just hope that they accept me that way and that I follow them too. Then something big can happen here.
SPOX: You proved that you can be a great leader in 2014 when you surprisingly led Maccabi Tel Aviv to the EuroLeague title as MVP. How did you remember this team and this great success?
Rice: I never had or have had anything like Maccabi again. We were a real unit, I felt like I was in high school back then, so close were we this year. It had the vibe, as if we had known each other since our earliest childhood and grew up together. Until today I am in contact with many of these guys and we still have a WhatsApp group with the old group. We make jokes every day and also visit each other. It’s a connection that will never be destroyed.
SPOX: This team was coached at that time by David Blatt and beside you there were also guys like Ricky Hickman or a certain Joe Ingles, who is now in the NBA superstars like Paul George annoyed with his way of playing, in the squad. Did you think he’d have a career like this?
Rice: Joe was already working incredibly hard back then and had great confidence in himself. All he needed was someone to give him a chance. Utah was simply the perfect situation for him, also because nobody but Utah wanted to give him the opportunity to prove himself. Of course he was a bit lucky with several injuries of competitors, but Joe deserves it when you see how hard he works on himself – every day. It is incredible how standing he has now, how he has blossomed.
Page 1: Tyrese Rice on the development of BBL and the Maccabi team in 2014
Page 2: Rice about his China intermezzo and his career plans