THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 8, 1994 TAG: 9412080600
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NEW ORLEANS LENGTH: Medium: 94 lines
A friend's death produced Tic Price's opportunity of a lifetime.
Price, the former Old Dominion assistant coach and Virginia Tech player, is 2-3 at the University of New Orleans in his first season as a head basketball coach. He coveted a head-coaching job for years, never expecting overwhelming heartache to coincide with the realization of the goal.
Tommy Joe Eagles was hired May 31 to coach the Privateers, who have been to three NCAA tournaments and four National Invitational Tournaments in the past eight seasons. He hired Price as his associate head coach.
Two months later, Eagles, by all accounts the picture of health at age 45, suffered a massive coronary while working with some former players at an NBA tryout camp in Salt Lake City. Price was recruiting in Florida when he got a message to call the Eagles house.
``His daughter answered crying and said her dad had died,'' Price said. ``I just froze.''
Since that day, everything Price has wanted in 14 years as an assistant coach at Roanoke College, Tennessee-Chattanooga, Virginia Tech, Old Dominion and Auburn has come to pass. But it's been bittersweet because of the passing of a friend Price loved like family.
The day after the funeral, Price and New Orleans athletic director Ron Maestri met for a lengthy discussion. Partly because of the faith Eagles had expressed in Price, Maestri offered Price a one-year deal as the Privateers' interim head coach at the $90,000 salary Eagles earned.
Two days after Eagles was laid to rest, Price was introduced as his successor. Tommy Joe's wife, Connie Eagles, attended the press conference at Price's request.
``I wanted to be a head coach, but not the way I became one,'' Price said.
The past 16 months have been turbulent and life-changing for Price.
He left Old Dominion in August 1993 to become Eagles' assistant at Auburn. Price went through a painful divorce. After last season, Eagles was fired by Auburn and Price was out of work. He applied for and was passed over for the Old Dominion job Jeff Capel got; then Price joined Eagles at New Orleans.
Six days after Eagles died, Price committed his life to Jesus Christ. Eagles had openly professed his faith, and it impacted Price's life.
Monday morning, Price dropped in on Old Dominion's shoot-around at Tulane, where the Monarchs played Monday night.
``Made my day,'' said center Odell Hodge, who, like many of the Monarchs, remains close to Price.
Price recruited or helped coach eight of the 11 Monarch scholarship players. All of them hugged him and huddled around him laughing and talking for about five minutes after practice. NCAA rules that prohibiting on-site scouting kept Price from attending the Monarchs' game with Tulane.
Later, Price took two Virginia media members on a tour of UNO's beautiful 10,000-seat Lakefront Arena, located on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain. The Privateers' locker room has been recently renovated, and the head coach's office is spacious and well appointed.
Price is not the program's only newcomer. He has no returning starters and only three players back from last year's 20-10 team. Most of the players are junior college transfers or freshmen. Price's top returnee failed to qualify academically, and the top incoming recruit did not graduate from junior college.
Price said he got five verbal commitments from recruits in the fall, but only two actually signed a national letter of intent.
``Because of the uncertainty of my status and negative recruiting by other schools, a lot of kids backed off before they signed that paper,'' Price said.
Price is confident his long-awaited opportunity to run his own program will not be a one-year stint.
``I think the chancellor and the athletic director are happy with the direction the program is going,'' Price said. ``I think it's just a matter of time before something is done about my contract.''
Perched on the VCR in Price's office is a silver-framed picture of a smiling Eagles. Eagles only worked at the school two months, but Price is determined to be part of his legacy, and to pass it on.
A plaque with Eagles' picture and a message from coach to player hangs prominently in the Privateers' locker room. Never mind that none of the UNO players ever knew him as their coach. The inscription on the plaque is a quote from Eagles:
``The cornerstone of our program is faith in Jesus Christ. I firmly believe players who know Jesus Christ as their Saviour will always have the encouragement, hope and faith when they need something to lean on.''
George ``Tic'' Price - who got his nickname as a boy when he repeatedly hit the big shot as the clock ticked down - gazed momentarily at the plaque.
``Good man,'' Price said. ``He taught more to kids than X's and O's. You don't find coaches like that every day.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Tic Price
by CNB