Jada Ryce: Galloway’s Own Basketball Superstar
When I asked Jada Ryce about the best basketball game she’s ever played, she hesitated for a lengthy 30 seconds before answering, “I guess...the best game I ever played was probably a pickup game with a group of my friends because it was just for fun and there was no pressure to win or lose. I was playing my best because I wanted to.”
You would think that Jada, one of Galloway Varsity basketball’s absolute best players, would refer to a high scoring, active, exciting game, but instead, it’s a low key game with a group of friends where there were no expectations, and she could play purely for fun. This minor tidbit shows so much about Jada’s character and why she’s playing the game.
Jada’s basketball career started the summer before sixth grade and was the outcome of a deal with her parents.
“My siblings were playing soccer, and I hated soccer,” she explains. “So, my parents said ‘You have to play a sport.’ And so I said ‘I guess I’ll play basketball.’”
Flash forward five years and Jada now plays club basketball with FBC of Atlanta and is arguably the best player on the Galloway’s girls Varsity team. Last season she scored over 100 points overall, citing a great game of 17 points scored in the first round of the State Tournament. Jada loves playing for both club and school but greatly prefers club because of the harder competition and the diverse range of people she gets to play with. Even though Galloway Athletics is fun, there are not as many games and opportunities, according to Jada. With that being said, she loves how Galloway is all inclusive and how the coaches are really invested in improving the team.
Although 2021, the year Jada graduates, feels far, she will be applying to college in just two years. Although she’s unsure of where she wants to attend at this moment, Jada is interested in pursuing a graphic design major.
Although it may seem like the next step for Jada would be to play basketball professionally, she’s not so sure.
“I’ve heard of the poor treatment in the WNBA,” she explains. “And I’ve actually thought about playing overseas instead.”
Jada goes on to describe the possible benefits of playing across the pond: learning another language, expanding her horizons, and getting better publicity and a change of scenery.
Wherever Jada may end up in the future, whether she becomes a professional basketball player in France or Google’s top graphic designer, she will always be one of Galloway’s most memorable and respected basketball players.
By Annie Levy
