D'Mitrik Trice making an early impact for Wisconsin
MADISON, Wis. – The No. 14 Wisconsin Badgers had plenty of bodies to sort through this season when they returned all but one player from last year’s team, but true freshman point guard D’Mitrik Trice has worked his way in to the rotation in his first year with the team.
Trice is averaging 17.7 minutes per game for UW, more than any other non-starter this season, and has been very efficient on the court when he spells senior point guard Bronson Koenig. Trice spoke with BadgerBlitz.com after practice on Monday about his first few months with the team, and his answers to our questions are included below.
It must seem like the season is flying by already, but how would you say your freshman year is going so far?
D’Mitrik Trice: Personally, I’m feeling really good. I’m feeling confident in myself and what this team has accomplished so far. We’re not nearly close to being done, but this is just the beginning of the season and we’ve still got to look forward to conference play and things like that, handling games one by one. I’d say it’s been going by fast … I’m just enjoying every minute of it.
Did you have an idea when you were being recruited that you would be able to play quite a bit during your first year on campus? Or did that develop after you joined the team?
Trice: I’d say it was hard to tell that I’d be playing this much. I definitely had aspirations of playing as a freshman, whether that was a couple minutes or playing half the game or something like that. I’m happy with the minutes that I’m playing now and I’m happy that the coaches trust me (with them).
You were a two-sport athlete back in high school, playing quarterback on the football team. IS there anything about playing quarterback that has translated over to basketball and helped you become a better point guard?
Trice: I’d definitely say the leadership role of it – being the point guard out there, just being comfortable in my own position and even older guys talking to me on the court and on the bench. They just put me in a comfortable state. They listen to what I have to say and I listen to what they have to say. It’s just kind of a two-way street out there. Another thing I’ve learned is ‘don’t turn the ball over,’ cause that will be a quick ticket to the bench.
Also with the football aspect, leading a team to a state championship, it takes a lot of leadership - even when things aren’t going well the team looks towards you. I’d say football helped me in a lot of ways. Coach (Greg) Gard said earlier in the year that if I can coach 10 guys on the football field then I can do it with four on the court.
You’ve said before that you have a pretty good relationship with senior point guard Bronson Koenig – are there one or two things that you’ve learned from him or from watching him about playing point guard that you’ve added to your own game?
Trice: I’d say it’s hard to pick out one little thing that he’s taught me. He’s constantly talking to me on and off the court. But we’ve become really close friends – he’s telling me to stay poised, keep doing what I’m doing right now cause that’s what’s getting me on the court. Stay true to what I do, don’t get too high or too low. Distributing the ball is what I’m here for and then knocking down open shots. I don’t have to do anything too flashy to get on the court – it’s just stay composed and do what I have to do.
You’ve looked pretty comfortable shooting the ball from long-range so far in the games you’ve played in this season, currently shooting 60.9 percent (14 for 23) from behind the arc. Is that something you’ve always felt comfortable with?
Trice: It’s something I’ve learned growing up in my family. My dad is a really good 3-point shooter – probably the best in the family. My brother’s right behind him. We’ve all been able to shoot. I’d say going through high school I wasn’t the greatest 3-point shooter, probably about 35 percent through my high school career. Coming here and just having the confidence to knock down my shots has been a big plus for me.
Is there anything in particular you want to work on as you guys move in to Big Ten play?
Trice: I’d say one of the things I’d like to work on is just getting to the free throw line a little more. I’m a really good free throw shooter but I haven’t really (shown) that in the games that we’ve played.
What do you need to do or develop to make that happen?
Trice: Just the confidence that the coaches trust me to drive to the lane and make the right play when I get there. That’s confidence from myself and the coaching staff.
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John Veldhuis covers Wisconsin football, basketball and recruiting for BadgerBlitz.com on the Rivals.com network. Follow him on Twitter at @JohnVeldhuis.