Ronnie Price, undoubtedly the most famous basketball player to come out of Utah Valley University after playing 12 seasons in the NBA, is returning to the Orem, Utah, campus.
On Monday, the Wolverines announced that Price is joining the men’s basketball staff as its director of player development.
“Ronnie Price is a tremendous leader who will have a huge impact on the UVU men’s basketball program,” head coach Mark Madsen said in a statement, adding that he got to know Price in 2004 at UVU and then coached him with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2014-2015 season. “Ronnie is going to have a huge impact here. I feel incredibly excited that he is joining the UVU staff.”
Price played at UVU from 2002-2005 and averaged 19.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. He signed with the Sacramento Kings out of school, becoming the first (and still only) player to go from UVU to the NBA (two others, Travis Hansen and Michael McDonald, had played there before finishing their college careers elsewhere prior to going to the league).
The 6-foot-2 Price wound up having a long career as a journeyman, as he played for six teams in his 12 NBA seasons, including four seasons with he Utah Jazz, his longest stay with one team. Over his career, he averaged 3.7 points and 1.8 assists per game.