Missouri Basketball Head Coach Frank Haith announced on Tuesday that Zach Price has signed a financial aid agreement to attend the University of Missouri and will play for the men’s basketball program.
A 6-foot-10, 250-pound forward from Cleveland, Ohio, Price will sit out the 2013-14 season (per NCAA transfer rules) and will be classified as a redshirt junior for the 2014-15 campaign.
“We are really excited to welcome Zach into our basketball family,” Head Coach Frank Haith said. “Obviously Zach has great size and this redshirt season will be critical for him as he works to develop his body and improve his low-post skill. We’ve had a very good track record developing our post players over the last two years and that played a big role in him deciding to come to Mizzou. We like to play from the inside out and I believe Zach has the ability to be a very good low-post scorer and defender in the Southeastern Conference.”
Price began his career at the University of Louisville and made seven starts last season, averaging 7.7 minutes per game. As a sophomore he averaged 1.3 points and 1.4 rebounds and played a season high 19 minutes and scored four points and grabbed three rebounds in his first career start vs. Duke in the 2012 Battle 4 Atlantis championship game. He also played two minutes in the semifinal matchup vs. Mizzou on Nov. 23.
“I’m excited to be at the University of Missouri and knew this was where I wanted to be once I got to campus and had a chance to see the facilities and meet with everyone,” Price said. “I’ve seen what the coaching staff has done with guys like Alex Oriakhi and Laurence Bowers and felt like Missouri would be the best place for me to continue my education, improve my game and compete for championships. I’m excited to get to school and ready to get to work.”
For his career Price played in 35 games at Louisville and scored a career high six points on two occasions. He scored six points and grabbed six rebounds vs. Fairleigh Dickinson as a freshman in 2011 and scored six points in a start at College of Charleston last year.
Considered one of the country’s Top 100 players in the class of 2011, Price spurned offers from Ohio State, Wisconsin and others to sign with the Cardinals. He averaged 11.6 points and 6.9 rebounds as a senior at Jeffersontown High School in Louisville, Ky., helping the program to a 25-7 overall record and a regional final berth. Price began his high school career at St. Edward’s in Lakewood, Ohio, before transferring for his senior season.
Individually he was ranked a “four star” prospect by virtually every recruiting service, including Top 100 national rankings by ESPN (No. 56), Rivals.com (No. 67), USA Today (No. 63) and Scout.com (No. 65).
He earned first team all-state honors in Kentucky in 2011 and was selected to play in the Derby Festival Classic in Louisville and the NeXt All-American Classic in Chicago.
— MU Sports Information —