On Sunday night, Darius Rice of the Dakota Wizards turned in the best scoring performance in D-League history when he scored 52 points in the D-League Championship Game. Rice knocked down a record 11 three-pointers, and pulled the Wizards away from the brink of defeat when he tied the game on a three with less than four seconds remaining in regulation. A few days after leading the Wizards to an overtime victory, Rice was on his way to New Jersey to appear on NBA TV. Before his appearance, D-League.com's Matthew Brennan caught up with Rice in the studio where he spoke about his incredible game and his future basketball plans.

Darius, how do you feel about winning the D-League Championship?

Rice: "It was great. The championship game at home, it really meant a lot for the whole city, the state, and I know the guys who had been there the whole season, they really wanted it bad. It just meant a lot to me to win a professional championship."

Darius Rice scores two of his 52 points in the D-League Championship Game. Joe Murphy/NBAE/Getty Images

Did you realize exactly how big a game you were having?

Rice: "I was just trying to stay calm, I knew I had 15 points and then I had 25 in like another minute, and I was said ok, that’s no problem. Then I had 38, and I was like it’s really happening, I don’t know what’s going on. My team just kept giving me the ball. Renaldo Major was a little off, Quemont Greer was a little off, and they just said we are going to ride you all night. It seemed like every time we needed a bucket, I was open and I knocked it down for us. "

What were you thinking after that final timeout in regulation, before you hit the game-tying three pointer with four seconds left?

Rice: "When they took the lead with a few seconds left, everyone walked to the bench with their head down. We were down three with only four seconds to go, they thought it was over. I looked at them and said if you get me the ball I can knock down this shot. It’s just a great feeling."

Have you always been known as a great three-point shooter?

Rice: "Actually I’ve been working on my ball-handling a lot. But I’ve always been able to shoot in high school and college, on ESPN I hit a three against UCONN at the buzzer, I had 43 that night. I can always shoot the three and just try to prove to the NBA that if they need a shooter, I can be that guy for them. I've had a few 40-point games, but this was the first time I ever reached 50."

What made the Wizards so successful this season?

Rice: "We are a really cohesive unit, we had a great lineup with Kevin Lyde at center, Renaldo and Quemont were All-Stars and Renaldo was Defensive Player of the Year. We also had Corey Williams, and Maurice Baker was a big key for us. He had a bad ankle all season but battled through it. When teams couldn’t match up with us, we went five more players deep. Our bench could have started against a bunch of teams. We had Chris McCray, who played with the Bucks, myself, and Rod Benson, a young guy who really picked his game up with six blocks in the championship game. Then we brought Jerome Beasley back and Dontell Jefferson was a rookie who played great for us."

What is it like to play for head coach Dave Joerger?

Rice: "Dave Joerger is a great coach; he brings the best out of all of his players. He gives everyone the confidence that if you do their job all of your teammates are going to pick you up."

How did you end up joining the Wizards in late February?

Rice "I was playing in China, and I was going to come home and rest. My agent said to me, “If we can get you on a good D-League team, would you be willing to do it?” I said that was fine, and he got me into the player pool and Coach Joerger gave me a call and said let’s go. He tried to get me when he was in the CBA at Sioux Falls, and he told me he wasn’t going to let me go twice."

Have you been hearing from any NBA teams or other pro teams since Sunday's game?

Rice: "Well my agent asked me if an NBA team calls and wants me to work out right now, am I ready? I told him if they call me right now I’d get on a plane and go work out. I just want to get in front of an NBA team, and let them see for themselves the person I am. My agent has been getting a couple calls since Sunday."

What do you think that you can offer to an NBA team?

Rice: "I’m a great teammate. I play my role, I can score when they need me, and I can shoot the three-pointer. My defense has really picked up; Coach Joerger told me that I’ve shut down a lot of great threes in the D-League. I think that I can be a defensive stopper and an athletic rebounder in the NBA, so I think that I have a lot to offer to a team.'

Do you think that the D-League is the best place for players to gain exposure and a chance to play in the NBA?

Rice: "Yes, that’s one reason I picked China to play in, because it’s a short season. Instead of somewhere like Europe where you play for ten months, you can finish your season and join a D-League team. The NBA is the ultimate goal for any player and the D-League is the way to go right now. I mean, 22 call-ups this season, that’s ridiculous. I just want to show them that I’m here in the D-League and working hard, and I’m not about the money, I’m about trying to get into the NBA. People go over to play in Europe for the money, but I want to play in the NBA. That’s my goal and that’s why I chose the NBA."

What are your plans for the summer?

Rice: "Well, I’m working out and I want to gain about 20, 25 pounds of good weight, I want to go to summer league and show these teams that I’m here and I’m ready to play in this league. I want to show them that I can be a great player in the NBA someday."