UCLA star Kiki Rice opens up about seeing a psychologist to take care of the mental side of the game: "Really helpful for me" 

UCLA Bruins star Kiki Rice is on the verge of superstardom after a docuseries focusing on her basketball season alongside WNBA rookies Caitlin Clark and Kamilla Cardoso just started airing. The series details behind-the-scenes footage from the three protagonist's basketball season.

During a snippet from the series posted on Omaha Production's Instagram page, Rice can be seen engaging with sports psychologist Nicole Davis. The UCLA star explains why she took the step of engaging Davis.

"I started seeing a sports psychologist, obviously I got trainers and I take care of my body but I think adding someone who can help me with the mental side of the game is something that can be very helpful for me," Rice said.

The snippet further shows a session that Kiki Rice had with the psychologist where she details what holds her back on the court.

"Playing fearlessly, with the utmost confidence I think that can be an area I feel like I can improve in that can help me get to the next level. Fear of results, fear of loss, fear of failing. My footwork, my mechanics, my release. The specific things within my shot that I'm focussing on," Rice said.

Kiki Rice gets praise for her growth

Some coaches would have misgivings about having cameras follow the team around and intrude upon the personal moments of her players and team talks during a heated season.

UCLA coach Cori Close welcomed the spotlight that would come from Kiki Rice being the focus of an ESPN docuseries. She also praised the growth that the superstar guard underwent as the season progressed.

“I think it’s such a compliment to her (Rice) because, honestly, it wasn’t that big a deal,” Close said. “This didn’t just benefit Kiki, it benefits our whole entire program. ... It was a win-win all the way around.”

“It has been fun to watch her grow in her defensive intensity and her pride especially in her one-on-one defense,” Close said. “She’s also learning to find her voice and what’s it like to lead and influence within her personality.”

UCLA teammate Charisma Osborne also praised Kiki Rice for improving areas of her game that were weak last season including her shooting from beyond the three-point arc, which improved from 21.7% last season to 32.5% this season.

“Getting her to shoot open shots, it’s been so fun seeing her knock down 3s this year and get to her pull-up," Osborne said. ”She’s a three-level scorer, so being able to see all that improve has been so cool.”

For Kiki Rice, the experience of being the focus of a docuseries alongside a star like Caitlin Clark did not deter her from having a stellar season. She insisted that the superstardom that would inevitably follow would not knock her off her stride.

Kiki Rice will know that being the focus of the women's college basketball spotlight will come with its own challenges as the new legions of fans will expect her to be at her best for every game that she plays.