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Prep Confidential

Jackson's 5 Part XI

Posted by: Marcus Jackson

Wednesday, July 23, 2008 2:48 PM

Each week staff writer Marcus Jackson will pose five questions to an area prep athlete. This week's guest is Centennial football and basketball player Rayvonte Rice.

MJ: What's been occupying most of your time this summer?
RR: I've been playing AAU basketball with the Illinois Stars. We've got some pretty good players like Seth Evans (Seneca). He committed to Wisconsin-Green Bay. And then we've got Xavier Humphrey (Fenwick), he's got offers from Drake, Xavier, Illinois State, Southern Illinois and some other midmajor schools like that.

MJ: How much football-related stuff have you been doing this summer?
RR: I've been lifting weights with the team but I haven't been running the plays and all that because I didn't want to get hurt and miss some basketball. But with the season coming up it's going to be the other way around. There's going to be basketball tournaments going on during football but I'm not going to want to get hurt and miss some football.

MJ: Are you disappointed in the way things turned out in football last year because you guys had pretty high expectations?
RR: We definitely thought the season was going to turn out way different. I think we'll be way better this year though.

MJ: Being a running back, do you feel pressure to live up to the standard that Mikel Leshoure set the past few years?
RR: I've got some big shoes to fill but I'm up for it.

MJ: What was it like for you getting the bulk of the carries when he missed some time with an injury last season?
RR: I just knew I had to step up. I just did it. I just went in there and did what I had to do.

MJ: The past few years, Champaign Central was the basketball team in town that everyone talked about. Now it looks like it's going to be you guys. Are you excited to grab some of the spotlight?
RR: It's exciting because the whole atmosphere is going to change. They had Verdell (Jones), Ducky (Stewart) and Keith (Biggers) and all those guys and we feel like we got the big names like that on our side this time.

MJ: When you were watching Central advance through to the state tournament last year, what were you thinking?
RR: I wanted to be in state real bad.

MJ: Have you started thinking about college and what sport you might want to play at the next level?
RR: I'm kind of leaning toward basketball, but I don't really know. Some coaches ask me and that might push them away if I say I want to play just basketball or just football. I've heard from people about both sports but I'm leaning toward basketball.

MJ: What kind of things do you like to do when you get some time to yourself and you're not going to practice or games?
RR: Sometimes in the morning I'll go to the Y and shoot around a little bit and workout. I work at Prime Sole, it used to be called Athletic Shoe. Me and my friends, like David Pickens, he goes to Central, will come over my house and watch some movies or something and we just chill. Sometimes we might hangout with our girlfriends.

MJ: What kind of music do you listen to?
RR: Mostly rap, Lil Wayne. I like Kanye West and Pliles, too.

MJ: In this part of the state I get a lot of people who say they like country, do you listen to any country music?
RR: Nah, I don't like country music.

MJ: Has recruiting started to heat up for you at all?
RR: I'm starting to get a lot of interest from schools about basketball. A lot of schools have started showing interest like Iowa, Missouri State, Virginia, Wisconsin-Green Bay and Northwestern.

MJ: What was it like for you being so young and getting those calls from schools wanting to know if you might be interested in playing for them?
RR: My friend James Kinney had a lot of schools calling him and he was just telling me not to worry and that they would start calling and they did so that was kind of exciting for me.