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From Utah Valley St. to the pros, the Kings rookie guard takes it all in
From Obscurity to the NBA: Ronnie Price
by Chris Navalta, Kings.com Senior Staff Writer
There's nothing like a story about the underdog making it to the NBA.
But Kings rookie point guard Ronnie Price doesn't see himself within that realm of players.
Price, the first-year guard who was undrafted from Utah Valley State University, is just a guy who brought his lunch pail to work everyday, did his job the best he could and reaped whatever rewards he got out of it.
His hard work paid dividends in the form of a spot on the Kings' roster for the 2005-06 campaign, becoming the first player to come out of UVS and go straight into the NBA.
Like most NBA players, Price's road to the pros didn't come easy. In fact, when asked about his upbringing in the small town of Friendswood, Texas and how it came in junction with basketball, his only response was: "You might want to sit down."
Friendswood, a suburb 20 miles away from Houston, has just under 25,000 residents. With limited access to just about everything, Price and his friends turned to sports for recreation. Sports also brought out Price's competitiveness and started taking games more seriously as he got older.
"As a kid, I was always competitive. I always enjoyed playing sports. Growing up, I played a lot of different sports. And when you're a kid, you always have that dream of being a professional at whatever sport you're playing. For me, it was just a matter of what sport I wanted to stick with."
Eventually, Price played basketball exclusively and went on to play at Clear Brook High School, where he was immediately a standout Wolverines' boys basketball team. But he wasn't the jock that played every sport and he wasn't the Student Body President.
"I was known as the short guy who could play," said Price, who stood 5-feet, one-inch his freshman year.
By his senior year, he averaged 16 points, four assists and two steals per game with the Wolverines and played at Nicholls State for his first year in college before finally transferring to UVS. There, he stared every single game in which he played (89) and has a career average of 19.7 points per game.
Despite not being drafted in June, Price refused to end his basketball career in college. He put together an impressive outing at the Las Vegas Summer League and was invited to Kings training camp.
During his road to the NBA, Price has had his share of supporters - as well as haters - along the way.
"A lot of people wanted me to make it," Price said. "I had a lot of people in my corner. (As far as haters go), there are a lot of opinionated people out there. You have to take it for what it is. It's their opinion. You just have to let it go in one year and out the other. But don't prove to them - prove to yourself - that they're wrong. It makes you work harder."
Price made the Kings' roster and became an immediate fan favorite. He's the little point guard that could and knows his career as a pro is only getting started.
"It's a big adjustment," Price said. "But I'm fortunate to have great teammates, great veterans who I can look up to. I get to see how they take care of themselves and how they live their everyday lives. It makes things easier on me. I can just be a follower for these great leaders. It hasn't been a problem."
Price also admits to being starstruck from time to time.
"All these guys I watched on TV, now I'm playing against them," he said. That's something I have to adjust to."
Whatever road Price takes from here, he knows wherever he plays will be getting the type of player teams need more of.
"A guy who's going to play hard defense," Price said. "Just a guy who's trying to give the team energy everytime I go on the floor. Whatever coach needs me to do, that's what I'm going to bring."
From Obscurity to the NBA: Ronnie Price
by Chris Navalta, Kings.com Senior Staff Writer
There's nothing like a story about the underdog making it to the NBA.
But Kings rookie point guard Ronnie Price doesn't see himself within that realm of players.
Price, the first-year guard who was undrafted from Utah Valley State University, is just a guy who brought his lunch pail to work everyday, did his job the best he could and reaped whatever rewards he got out of it.
His hard work paid dividends in the form of a spot on the Kings' roster for the 2005-06 campaign, becoming the first player to come out of UVS and go straight into the NBA.
Like most NBA players, Price's road to the pros didn't come easy. In fact, when asked about his upbringing in the small town of Friendswood, Texas and how it came in junction with basketball, his only response was: "You might want to sit down."
Friendswood, a suburb 20 miles away from Houston, has just under 25,000 residents. With limited access to just about everything, Price and his friends turned to sports for recreation. Sports also brought out Price's competitiveness and started taking games more seriously as he got older.
"As a kid, I was always competitive. I always enjoyed playing sports. Growing up, I played a lot of different sports. And when you're a kid, you always have that dream of being a professional at whatever sport you're playing. For me, it was just a matter of what sport I wanted to stick with."
Eventually, Price played basketball exclusively and went on to play at Clear Brook High School, where he was immediately a standout Wolverines' boys basketball team. But he wasn't the jock that played every sport and he wasn't the Student Body President.
"I was known as the short guy who could play," said Price, who stood 5-feet, one-inch his freshman year.
By his senior year, he averaged 16 points, four assists and two steals per game with the Wolverines and played at Nicholls State for his first year in college before finally transferring to UVS. There, he stared every single game in which he played (89) and has a career average of 19.7 points per game.
Despite not being drafted in June, Price refused to end his basketball career in college. He put together an impressive outing at the Las Vegas Summer League and was invited to Kings training camp.
During his road to the NBA, Price has had his share of supporters - as well as haters - along the way.
"A lot of people wanted me to make it," Price said. "I had a lot of people in my corner. (As far as haters go), there are a lot of opinionated people out there. You have to take it for what it is. It's their opinion. You just have to let it go in one year and out the other. But don't prove to them - prove to yourself - that they're wrong. It makes you work harder."
Price made the Kings' roster and became an immediate fan favorite. He's the little point guard that could and knows his career as a pro is only getting started.
"It's a big adjustment," Price said. "But I'm fortunate to have great teammates, great veterans who I can look up to. I get to see how they take care of themselves and how they live their everyday lives. It makes things easier on me. I can just be a follower for these great leaders. It hasn't been a problem."
Price also admits to being starstruck from time to time.
"All these guys I watched on TV, now I'm playing against them," he said. That's something I have to adjust to."
Whatever road Price takes from here, he knows wherever he plays will be getting the type of player teams need more of.
"A guy who's going to play hard defense," Price said. "Just a guy who's trying to give the team energy everytime I go on the floor. Whatever coach needs me to do, that's what I'm going to bring."
