SLIPPERY ROCK — Almost every day this winter, Jence Rhoads trudged her way through the snowy and cold city streets of Saint George in Romania.

Her destination was the basketball arena. Inside, she found warmth and comfort, a place as familiar to her as her native Slippery Rock.

And with Sepsi, her team in the Romanian professional women’s basketball league, Rhoads found a style that perfectly fit her particular set of skills.

“I had good teammates to pass the ball to,” said Rhoads, who was a standout point guard at Slippery Rock High and Vanderbilt University. “I was No. 1 in the league in assists, and that’s because of my teammates.

“I like to run the floor and pass the ball,” Rhoads said. “I don’t like having to score on every possession, so this was perfect for me. That’s the point guard in me.”

Rhoads averaged 12 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.8 assists and two steals per game for Sepsi. She was named the league’s Guard of the Year.

She won the same award last season while playing in Iceland.

“I was actually very surprised,” Rhoads said. “There are plenty of good guards in this league. It was surprising to get this honor, especially because we didn’t get as far in the playoffs as we expected.”

Sepsi was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs after a 20-7 season.

In many ways, though, it was a trying season for Rhoads.

She had to adjust to inhospitable weather conditions, isolation and the illness of her father, Robert “Posey” Rhoads, nearly 5,000 miles away in Slippery Rock.

With her father’s health failing after a long bout with cancer, Jence’s team was eliminated early enough for her to fly home to be with her family.

“I got home the day he passed away,” Rhoads said. “I think we were supposed to lose (in the first round of the playoffs).”

Rhoads is going to spend her summer close to home instead of working basketball camps all over the country with Point Guard College as she has the last couple of years.

She’s playing basketball and training locally, preparing herself for the next challenge in her burgeoning career.

Rhoads already made one huge jump in moving from the Icelandic league to the one in Romania.

“It actually was a big step up,” Rhoads said. “It was the best the league in Romania has ever been. The talent was the best ever.”

Rhoads, 24, is hoping her success in Romania will lead to better opportunities.

“That’s what I’m looking for. A better country, a better place to live. Someplace warmer,” Rhoads said, laughing. “I’ve been in the frozen tundra for the last two years.”

The ultimate goal is to latch on with a Euroleague team overseas. Rhoads’ Sepsi team played one this season and won.

“That was an impressive feat for us,” Rhoads said.

Rhoads and her agent are pursuing opportunities with Euroleague teams in France, Italy and Russia.

Rhoads is banking on her success to sell her.

“I hope someone notices it,” Rhoads said. “That’s what my agent is for. To sell me. There is plenty of info available for coaches and scouts to see.”

Rhoads is confident she can move up again.

She’s even thinking about latching on with a WNBA team someday.

“People have been asking me that a lot lately,” she said. “I guess people here miss me. They want me to come back home.

“This year, it’s not an option for me. It depends on how (next season) goes,” Rhoads added. “I might get into a training camp. It would be nice to play in America. But the WNBA is very elite. There are 11 teams and 12 players on a team. There aren’t a whole lot of spots there.”