Philly high-school basketball legend still wants his shot

With roots deep in the rough asphalt of North Philadelphia playgrounds, the unforgiving crossover grew, then blossomed in the small, dingy gyms of the Public League. As if attached to a pendulum powered by a jet engine, the ball rocked from left hand to right, then back to the left before rocketing through the legs. Defenders were transfixed helplessly as their eyes tried to follow the ball.

Nine years ago, inside a cramped, sold-out Palestra, Maureece Rice's wicked handles added 17-year-old LeBron James as their latest victim. James' ankles shuffled in confusion before crumbling beneath him. The future NBA scoring champion righted himself with his outstretched palms and bounced back to his feet.

Rice's ensuing jumper missed the mark. Yet no one seemed to notice. The crowd had been given what it wanted.

"I had him set up, crossed one way, and he went the other way," Rice said. "Next thing you know he fell and the crowd just went bananas. LeBron was the No. 1 player, and the things he does now, it's something no one will forget."

On Sunday evening, James will return to the Palestra, again as the star attraction. This time he's the centerpiece of an all-star exhibition billed as "The Battle for I-95."

The 27-year-old Rice will be on the outside looking in. He's not sure if he'll attend the game, and he said he doesn't feel left out after not being asked to be a part of Team Philly, which will square off against James and a cast of marquee names assembled by New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony.

The hype surrounding James was already astronomical when he stepped onto the Palestra hardwood in December 2002 along with his top-ranked high school team, St. Vincent-St. Mary of Akron, Ohio. Awaiting that team was Philadelphia's own basketball prodigy, the most prolific high school scorer in city history: Maureece Rice of the defending Public League champion, Strawberry Mansion High School.

"Out of all four years of high school, it was the biggest hype of any game that I played," Rice said. "The hype lived up to the game. Everybody wanted to see us go at it."

Later that season, Rice would shatter Wilt Chamberlain's high school career scoring record and finish with 2,681 points, which still stands as the city's all-time high school scoring mark. Rice said he's become known for two things: breaking Wilt's record and breaking LeBron's ankles.

The Strawberry Mansion-St. Vincent-St. Mary game quickly turned into a no-contest. The Knights were clearly outmatched and fell behind by 21 points at the half before losing, 85-47. James dropped 26 points and eight rebounds while Rice finished with 13 points.

Late in the second half, the crowd of almost 9,000 witnessed what Rice said "they came for." The two main draws played nearly 10 minutes of one-on-one basketball, while their teammates became mere spectators.

"The height was the big difference," Rice said. "He's 6-8, 6-9, I'm only 6 feet. So I couldn't really match up with him as far as height. But I'm competitive, so I don't mind playing against nobody. That's the heart I got, I feel like I could do mine on my end."

Rice never received a multimillion-dollar sneaker contract nor was he anointed "The Chosen One" on the cover of Sports Illustrated while still in high school. He's toiled both abroad and in the NBA Developmental League. He hasn't taken his talents to South Beach, but he has been to South Dakota. He's yet to log an NBA minute.

Yet Rice still holds steadfast to his dream of earning a living by playing the sport he says he loves. His mind no longer fixed on the NBA, he now eyes a contract overseas. "Anywhere but Ukraine," he said. He had a miserable experience there last season.

"I still can do what I do when I get out there. It's not like I lost anything. It's just the right opportunity that I have to come across," said Rice, who has an 8-year-old daughter, Sanyah. "I feel as though it's going to come. I believe in God, and I think it's all going to work out. It's been a rough road, a little detour, but I'm not going to give up."

After wrapping up his career at Strawberry Mansion, Rice enrolled for a postgraduate year at North Philly's Lutheran Christian Academy in order to raise his grades. He then accepted a scholarship to attend George Washington.

"They were showing me the most interest. They were sending me down there, they were coming here, talking to my mom," Rice said. "It was two hours away. It was the perfect place for me, it seemed like."

After a slow freshman year, Rice flourished as a sophomore. He averaged 12.6 points and was named the Atlantic Ten's sixth man of the year. In the team's first-round NCAA tournament win, Rice came off the bench to drop a team-high 20 points.

The momentum continued in his junior season as Rice was inserted into the starting lineup and led the Colonials with 15.8 points per game. Rice and the Colonials returned to the NCAA tournament for the third straight year but were bounced in the first round. He tested the waters of the NBA draft, but withdrew his name in June and opted to return for his senior season.

He entered the year as the team's captain and the face of the program. His mug was on the cover of the team's media guide, and head coach Karl Hobbs said he tried to bring Rice to the forefront any chance he had.

But things quickly turned sour. Rice's minutes and points per game dipped significantly, and he was suspended twice early in the season. By March, he was dismissed from the team. The Colonials' reason was that Rice had "failed to adhere to team rules." But Rice has a different view. He said he left on his own.

"I was kind of left out. I wanted to know what I was doing wrong so I could correct it," said Rice. "But there was no way to get an answer, so I got frustrated and just said 'I'm done.' "

Hobbs said Rice had a difficult senior year. He missed summer workouts because of a health issue and wasn't in top shape at the start of the fall semester. But Hobbs said Rice wasn't a distraction to the team, and four years later he looks back fondly on their relationship.

"I'll tell you this, Maureece loves Philadelphia and Philadelphia loves Maureece," Hobbs said.

After going undrafted in 2008, Rice received a training-camp look with the 76ers. But he knew it was more of a courtesy. The team was stocked at guard and unlikely to squeeze a fifth backcourt man onto the roster.

Two of his next three seasons were spent in the D-League. He led Erie in scoring his first year there, in 2008-2009, and spent a part of the following season playing for Azovmash Mariupol in Ukraine. He was then dealt to Sioux Falls, but was waived in March of this year after 21 games.

Last month, Rice came close to signing a deal with a team in France, but it fell through when it chose a player more familiar with its style.

"At this point, I'm 27. My dreams aren't even about the NBA no more," Rice said. "I'm not saying it can't happen, because dreams come true every day. Who am I to say I can't make it? But I can't keep chasing the NBA. That's why I'm focused on just going overseas and making as much money as I can. Do what I do, and that's love playing basketball."