The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1190316
"I never really found the stability that I had while I was at NC State. I just needed to get grounded again." Trice-Hill is in her third year as an admissions representative for Miller-Motte College in Raleigh. She and her husband are living in the house they first bought in 2004, when Trice-Hill made her return to the area as an assistant for Kay Yow and which Trice-Hill hadn't been in, except for short visits, for seven years, following Yow's death from breast cancer, while pursuing college coaching jobs in Virginia and New York. "I was tired of the politics and going back and forth [on the coach- ing carousel]," she said. "My husband [who works for Wake County government] has always been very supportive and patient with me. I don't think another man could have handled it. "I've always consulted him about a decision to take a job [except in one memorable instance], and if he felt it wasn't right he'd give his opinion. But he's always let me follow my dreams." The youngest of Bonnie and George Trice's three children, and the only girl, she grew up trying to join older brothers Bertram and Byron on the court, with varying success. "They wouldn't let me play at first," she recalled. "I think that's where I got my competitiveness. I was determined to beat them one day. They beat me up pretty good, but made me tough." Honing her game at the Berkley Community Center, Trice-Hill went on to star for Deep Creek High School from 1979-83, helping the school win a state title and attracting recruiters from both coasts, including a women's power in her own backyard. "I grew up watching Old Dominion play," she recalled of the Monarchs' powerhouses of the late 1970s and early '80s. "Nancy Lieberman, Anne Donovan, Inge Nissen — they were players I looked up to and wanted to follow. And when Nor- folk hosted the Final Four, I got to see players from Louisiana Tech, Cheney State — they were my idols. "I'd made up my mind early on that I wanted to play out of state, but close enough so my family could see me." That narrowed Trice-Hill's choice of schools rather easily, from a final list that included Missouri and Florida State. NC State, one of the finalists, had an eight-year veteran coach that made a lasting impression on Trice-Hill's mother. "My mom fell in love with Coach Yow," she recalled. "She never pressured me to choose NC State, but she talked all the time about how she believed Coach Yow was a sincere, caring person, and how she was a good Christian. "I really wasn't focused on any of that -— I just wanted to go to college and take my education to the next level, since I was the first one in my family to get a college scholarship." Trice-Hill's arrival in Raleigh in 1983 came amidst the heydays of the Wolfpack's stellar years in both the AIAW and early NCAA tournaments. Her teams won 20 or more games three of her four years while compiling an overall 90-33 record, captured the ACC regular-season and tournament title in 1985, earned another confer- ence tournament crown in 1987, and went to the NCAA Tournament all four seasons. Playing alongside Pack standouts Robin Mayo, Linda Page, Angie Armstrong, Teresa Rouse and Annemarie Treadway during her four years in Raleigh, the 6-3 Trice-Hill was named an All-ACC center three times and rec- ognized as an All-American her senior year by the Women's Sports Federation and Street & Smith's. She averaged 15.1 points (tied for seventh all time) and 8.4 rebounds (fifth) during her four-year career, finishing with 1,761 career points (sixth) and 984 rebounds (fifth). Her 184 blocks rank third in school history. "I remember the ACC Tournaments, getting pumped and excited about those, and just develop- ing the sisterhood with my teammates," Trice-Hill recalled. "It was such a family environment at NC State, and we went to levels of success together that were rewarding and memorable for all of us." That "family" environment became even more important, and meaningful, to Trice-Hill after her mother passed away her freshman year from the same disease that would claim her coach 26 years later. "Looking back, I think one of the reasons my mom was so impressed with Coach Yow was be- cause she saw in her someone that eventually did become a surrogate mother to me," she said. "I never even knew mom had cancer until her passing. Full Circle Pack Legend Trena Trice-Hill Followed Her Basketball Dreams All Over The World And Now Is Back In Raleigh With Her Family Trena Trice-Hill Women's Basketball (Player, 1983-87; Assistant Coach, 2004-09) Age: 54 Living: Raleigh Occupation: Senior admissions representative, Miller-Motte College Did You Know? Trice-Hill was a finalist for the prestigious Wade Trophy in 1986 and was named to the ACC's 50th An- niversary Team in 2002. JANUARY 2020 ■ 33 Trice-Hill played professionally from 1987-2001, suiting up for teams in Spain, France, Brazil and Italy before a brief stint in the fledgling WNBA. PHOTO COURTESY TRENA TRICE-HILL