Two years after the turbulent season in Holon, the rebellious small forward signed with Lithuanian Juventus, where he will try to restore the destructive image in Europe • Since leaving, Rice has also gotten involved in Puerto Rico, Argentina and New Zealand • It does not stop his professional manager from thinking positively: "There is no cure"

• Glenn Rice. A story that never ends

  Photo: 

  Alan Shiver

It will be Glenn Rice's 'millionth and one' chance. The player, whose entire career is intertwined with comeback attempts, not small falls and attempts to rise again, signed today (Wednesday) at Juventus Lithuania in Lithuania. This will be his first return to European basketball since playing for Hapoel Holon at 2017/18.

So there are still those who want to give the player all this talent, but the serial complicator has a chance? Turns out yes. This is the Lithuanian team, which finished in fifth place in the league last season when it was stopped because of the corona. With him in the team will play coordinator Bryant Crawford, ex Gilboa / Galil and Mindaugas Kopashas, ​​who spent last season at Hapoel Jerusalem.

What would have happened if Glenn Rice had directed his talent and abilities only to the field. He could have been a senior NBA player today with many millions in the bank, the problem being that the highlight of his career is a series of entanglements on and off the field, entanglements that began back in college.

At Hapoel Holon under Dan Shamir, we saw exactly two sides of Rice. On the one hand, fantastic ability when he brings a trophy to the club with his own hands against Maccabi Tel Aviv. On the other hand, in early April a violent incident in which he hit Guy Pnini and was thrown out of the team. As you may recall, Rice still managed to return to the team at the end of the season and played in the playoff final in which Holon lost to Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Since leaving Holon, the actor has moved through many stations. He played in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Argentina, Mexico and the last stop was Dan Shamir's New Zealand Breakers which he also did not stand and played three games due to getting involved in an incident at a local bar.

Rice in the Cup final. Made a lot of trouble for Maccabi Tel Aviv // Photo: Alan Shiber 

In total since leaving Holon, Rice has played 31 games for 7 teams. Holon was the place where he held the most time in recent years where he played the most - 29 games in the league and in Europe.

The 29-year-old forward arrives at the Lithuanian team after the experience in New Zealand and after not playing for 9 months. During the period, it was published twice in "Israel Today" about options for him to play in Israel again. This time it was at Hapoel Ramat Gan from the national team, a second time at Maccabi Ashdod after the Korona break. On both occasions, the matter was dropped due to the fear of its turbulent nature.

Glenn Rice thanks the Holon audience. A large part misses for sure // Photo: Alan Schieber 

In Lithuania of course the goods are known and like any team before it, Juventus expect the tremendous talent to overcome the self-destructive urge.

Professional manager Imantas Scarsis spoke of the "impressive player" and the potential and noted that he is building on the fact that the player is interested in a successful and trouble-free season in order to return to the big money. 'When we played against him in the European framework we saw that there was no cure for him. I look at everything in a positive way, "he added optimistically.

There is a great temptation to take a player at these levels for little money. The question is whether Juventus will not discover in the near future that this was a honey trap. If Rice brings his tremendous ability to the pitch and does not get involved again then the modest Lithuanian team has played it, and by and large.