SEATTLE – The Seattle Storm today announced that Zykera Rice, Presley Hudson and Receé Caldwell have signed with the franchise and will report to training camp.
Rice, a 6-foot-1 forward and native of Tacoma, Wash., averaged a team-high 15.0 points per game in her final season at Gonzaga University, which ranked eighth in the West Coast Conference. An All-WCC First Team selection, Rice also led the Bulldogs in rebounds (198) and blocks (26) during the 2018-19 campaign and earned WCC All-Tournament honors for the second time in her career. After early exits in the 2017 and 2018 NCAA Tournaments, Rice scored a game-high 18 points in the opening round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament, powering Gonzaga to its first March Madness victory since 2015.
Rice is joined on the Storm training camp roster by guards Hudson and Caldwell. A four-year starter at Central Michigan University, Hudson was an integral part of a Chippewas core that made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, highlighted by a run to the Sweet 16 in 2018. She steadily improved her scoring average and field goal percentage each season, and in 2018-19 was one of only three Mid-American Conference players to pour in at least 20 points per game. During her senior season, Hudson led the MAC from the charity stripe (94.4 percent) and ranked second in assists (188). The three-time All-MAC First Team honoree holds the program and conference records with 407 career made three-point field goals, joining Storm forward Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis among the eight most prolific three-point shooters in NCAA Division I history.
In her lone season at the University of California, Berkeley, Caldwell paced the Golden Bears in assists (151) and made three-point field goals (61). She shot over 40 percent from beyond the arc when facing Pac-12 opponents and banked a season-high six three-point field goals on Feb. 8 against the third-ranked Oregon Ducks. Caldwell began her collegiate career at UCLA, where she averaged 6.9 points per game before transferring to Texas Tech. After sitting out the 2015-16 season due to transfer rules, the 5-foot-9 guard led the Lady Raiders with 14.5 points and 4.5 assists per game and received All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors in 2016-17. She was primed for another strong season the following year before an injury sidelined her after 13 games.
The Storm will begin its title defense facing the Phoenix Mercury at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Wash. on Saturday, May 25 at 12:30 p.m. Pacific Time on ABC. Opening Day presented by Swedish will feature a ring ceremony celebrating the franchise’s third WNBA title.
Fans can now purchase single-game tickets by visiting StormBasketball.com. Raise the trophy with the Storm in 2019 with a Storm 360 Membership, ticket package or group experience, available by calling (206) 217-WNBA (9622).
—— StormBasketball.com ——