Mark Price wouldn't be on our list if he wasn't a grad because why would we think we could land him or he'd be interested.
The pros to Price - he's a GT legend that would win the press conference, he'd run a good offense (we think), he'd bring cache to recruiting as a GT legend (he's been in a kid's shoes and succeeded, kids may not know who he is, but their AAU & HS coaches do), an NBA all-star (knows what it takes to get to the NBA), an NBA assistant coach (knows what it'll take to get to today's NBA & has ties to young stars like Walker, etc.).
The cons to Price - if he doesn't succeed, you're in an awkward situation having to remove a GT legend or his status as a GT legend is tarnished (reputation risk), lack of track record running a team, does he want to deal with what comes along with running a college program (academics, recruiting grind, etc.), once he gets recruits interested, can he close, how much will it cost us (might cost more for him than a Prohm, White, etc. or might need to spend more for proper assistants to support him).
Are there a lot of great reasons to hire Mark Price? Yes.
Will he succeed? There's a pretty good chance.
Is he really interested in the job and doing what it takes? Not sure.
What does the downside look like if he doesn't? Uhhh... could be a disaster.
I'm not going to take one side or the other because that conundrum is above my pay grade. I'll support or whoever is next in the chair though.
For the sake of putting his bio out front, here's his coaching career synopsis, per Wikipedia. Not off base from what people have been saying, but not too bad.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Price
Coaching career[
edit]
Mark Price began his coaching career during the 1998-99 basketball season as a community coach under head coach and friend Joe Marelle at
Duluth High School for the varsity boys team. After Marelle discovered he had
non-Hodgkins lymphoma, Price became a primary factor in the team's return trip to the final four of the class 5A
GHSA state tournament. It was the first time
Duluth High School returned to this point in the state tournament in 16 years. Price then went on to be an assistant coach to
Bobby Cremins at Georgia Tech during the 1999-2000 season.
[10]
After Cremins retired from coaching at Georgia Tech, Price then went on the following year to be the head coach at Whitefield Academy in
Atlanta for the 2000-01 season leading the team to a 27-5 record and the final eight teams of the state Class A tournament, a 20 win improvement over the prior season and 27 win improvement two seasons before Price arrived.
[11] NBA player
Josh Smith also played at
Whitefield Academy the same season Price was coach.
[12][13]
In 2003, Price was a consultant for the
NBA's
Denver Nuggets. He then became an NBA television analyst and
color commentator for both the
Cleveland Cavaliers and the
Atlanta Hawks.
In March 2006, Price was named the inaugural head coach of the Australian
NBL's
South Dragons, a new franchise for the 2006–07 season, before being fired after the team stumbled to a 0-5 start.
[14] The coaching job was later taken over by player
Shane Heal, in a controversial decision made by majority owner Mark Cowan. Heal was fired the following year after the Dragons finished last in the NBL for the 2007-08 season.
[15]
Price was the shooting consultant for the
Memphis Grizzlies for the 2007-08 season and named the shooting coach for the
Atlanta Hawks for the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 seasons.
[16] Price helped to improve the Hawks offensive output in their first return to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals in nearly 10 years during the 2009 NBA Playoffs.
[17]
Price is credited with helping
Boston Celtics point guard
Rajon Rondo improve his jump shot. Rondo's scoring was a key factor in the Celtics reaching the
2010 NBA Finals, where they pushed the
Los Angeles Lakers to a full seven game series.
[18] For the 2010-2011 season, Price joined the
Golden State Warriors as an assistant coach with the primary task of improving the Warriors shooting and free throw percentages.
[19]
In December 2011, Price was hired as a player development coach for the
Orlando Magic.
[20] In July 2012, Price served as the head coach of the
Orlando Magic's Summer League team.
[21]
On July 1, 2013, Price was hired as an assistant coach by the
Charlotte Bobcats, joining the staff of head coach
Steve Clifford and associate head coach
Patrick Ewing for the 2013–14 season.
[22]
