If he could lead an offense of 11 guys on a football field with ease, University of Wisconsin men’s basketball head coach Greg Gard thought, then he can definitely command an offense on a basketball court even better.
The quarterback in question here is D’Mitrik Trice, the freshman point guard for the Badgers, who has translated his preps success on the gridiron and hardwood to a solid first season in Madison. Obviously, Gard and the rest of his staff saw significant basketball promise in Trice, but his complete athletic background made him all the more appealing.
“He was a really good high school quarterback,” Gard said. “He knows how to lead. He asks the right questions. I thought he’d be a good player here. To have the impact he’s had this soon …”
Gard’s voice trailed off — perhaps he couldn’t believe this so-called diamond in the rough is already panning out for him. Trice has played in all 17 games for UW, averaging 6.3 points per game. He is shooting 54.1 percent from three (20 for 37) and his assist-to-turnover ratio is nearly 2-to-1.
If it seems Trice appeared out of nowhere, he basically did. Trice signed with the Badgers late in the recruiting class for 2016, having completed a year of postgrad at IMG Academy in Florida. Before that, he was a two-sport standout at Wayne High School in Huber Heights, Ohio. There, his father, Travis Sr., was his basketball coach. But scholarship offers were far and few between, and Trice felt under-recruited.
“I just stuck with the game plan, the process, trusted it,” Trice said. “I talked to my dad all the time, my older brother, prayed about it. I just trusted that God had it in his hands and I’m here now.”
The older brother Trice confided in – Travis Trice – should sound familiar to Wisconsin basketball fans. Travis Trice led Michigan State to the 2015 Final Four before losing to Duke, which defeated the Badgers in the national title game two nights later. After going underrated, Travis Trice ventured overseas to pursue professional basketball and now plays for Cairns Taipans in Australia.
Travis Sr. developed a relationship with Gard and UW during the recruitment process for his eldest son. So when Wisconsin came knocking for D’Mitrik, a certain comfort level had already been established, which was important in pushing D’Mitrik toward Madison.
“I take my dad’s words very wisely and him saying that Coach Gard is a great guy and a great coach, and he knows that I’d fit in well here, really helped my decision to come here,” Trice said.
Before UW, though, Trice said the year at IMG helped him on and off the court. He learned to operate like a college student, juggling a full class in addition to practices and games.
“That was as close to as college as you can get,” Trice said.
His time at IMG also allowed him to improve his quickness and add bulk to his 6-foot, 178-pound frame. Now, Trice has the confidence to compete against players at the collegiate level even in his first season of college ball. That confidence comes from a variety of places, Trice said, like the encouragement of his father and brother, but also from within himself.
Gard and the rest of the UW staff have noticed, much to their delight.
“He just makes everyone around him better,” Gard said. “He does what good point guards should do: make people around you better … He makes his coach happy.”
UW assistant coach Howard Moore said what Trice is doing is exceptional — to be earning significant playing time at point guard as a freshman is impressive. But, as former UW head coach Bo Ryan said, the players who see the court are good listeners and quick learners, both of which apply to Trice.
Moore hadn’t seen Trice play in a real game for until this year, but he went to IMG to check out the hype Gard and associate head coach Lamont Paris had seen. Right away, Moore said, he knew Trice would be a good fit.
“You go off of the character, you go off of the work ethic, the pedigree,” Moore said. “Obviously there’s a lot of factors involved that allowed us to say ‘Hey, this kid has a chance.’ So far it’s worked out really well.”
