MARK PRICE

Teacher | Developer | Mentor

Career Chronology

Highlights

Player, Georgia Tech

“Mark came here at a time when we were real, real low…
We needed somebody really special.”

Bobby Cremins | Former Head Coach | Georgia Tech

• 1985 ACC Player of the Year
• Four-time All-ACC Player
• Three-time 1st team All-ACC
• 1985 ACC Tournament Champion and Tournament MVP
• Two-time NCAA All-American
• Jersey #25 retired in 1986
• Inducted into Georgia Tech Hall of Fame
• Recipient of the 1st Georgia Tech Total Person Award
• Led team to an AP #1 ranking in 1985-1986
• Georgia Tech finished his last two seasons ranked #6 in the country
• Graduated in 4 years with a B.S. in Industrial Management

The Ability To Relate

NBA Playing Career

• 1993 1st Team All-NBA
• Three-Time 3rd Team All-NBA (1989, 1992, 1994)
• Four-time NBA All-Star (1989, 1992, 1993, 1994)
• Back-to-back winner of the NBA’s Three Point Shootout (1993, 1994)
• Jersey #25 retired by Cleveland Cavaliers in 1999
• Retired holding NBA Record for All Time Best Free Throw Percentage (90%)
• Member of World Games Gold Medal Winning Team in 1994
• Inducted into Cleveland, Ohio, Oklahoma, Atlanta and Georgia Hall of Fames
• 2002 Recipient of the John Wooden Keys to Life Award
• Consistency – Top-10 Finishes: Free Throw Percentage (7x), Assists Per Game (5x), 3pt Field
  Goals (4x), Player Efficiency Rating (3x)
• For 7 seasons, Price played under Hall of Fame Coach Lenny Wilkens who is second all-time in wins, 1994 NBA Coach of the Year, and 1979 NBA Champion
• Price also played for distinguished coaches Mike Fratello, Jim Lynam, Rick Adelman and Chuck Daly

Highlights

Coaching Career

2015-2017: Head Coach, Charlotte 49ers In his first year, Price recruited and developed two All Freshman team players and one All Conference player Prioritized academics — averaged eight players per semester on Honor Roll and graduated eight players in two years
2013-2015: Assistant Coach, Charlotte Hornets Coached under Steve Clifford Worked closely with Kemba Walker and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Focused on scouting and game planning
2011-2012: Assistant Coach, Orlando Magic In charge of overall player development as well as assisting in game planning under Stan Van Gundy Head coach of the 2012 Magic Summer League team
2010-2011: Consultant, Golden State Warriors Hired as an assistant coach to help in the development of their young players, including Stephen Curry and Jeremy Lin Assisted in all areas, including scouting and game planning
2008-2010: Assistant Coach/Shooting Coach, Atlanta Hawks Coached under Mike Woodson and focused on overall player development, with an emphasis on the improvement of players’ shooting skills, including Jeff Teague
2007-2008: Shooting Coach, Memphis Grizzlies Hired as a shooting consultant for young players, including Rudy Gay, Kyle Lowry, and Mike Conley
2003-2004: Consultant, Denver Nuggets Was invited by Head Coach Jeff Bzdelik to Denver in the summer to work with rookies and free agents Returned to training camp to work with perimeter players Worked on free throw shooting and was an overall consultant to the team

Player Development

Worked closely with many of the NBA’s best

Coach Price has helped develop many budding stars around the league, focusing on the development of guards. Most recently, he worked with two-time all-star Kemba Walker and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist when he was an assistant coach for the Hornets.

“Last season my pace got a lot better and that had to do with Coach Price. He’s helped me a lot with changing speeds in the pick-and-roll. I’m able to see things a lot slower now – taking my time…He’s been great with every aspect of the game.”

Kemba Walker | NBA Player | Charlotte Hornets

“…Mark Price, I felt like helped (Kemba) a ton…Jeff Van Gundy told me Mark Price was Steve Nash before Steve Nash. I feel like Mark has helped Kemba, not just with his skill development but just with being an NBA point guard, knowing what to look for, so yeah. And he watches film with him…”

Steve Clifford | Head Coach | Charlotte Hornets

“He potentially has changed his future in this league with the work he did with Mark Price.”

Steve Clifford on MKG’s jump shot

Other key players Coach Price has worked with…

• STEPHEN CURRY – GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
• RAJON RONDO – NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
• MIKE CONLEY – MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES
• JEFF TEAGUE – MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
• AL HORFORD – BOSTON CELTICS
• LOU WILLIAMS – LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
• RUDY GAY – SAN ANTONIO SPURS
• KYLE LOWRY – TORONTO RAPTORS
• LUC MBAH A MOUTE – HOUSTON ROCKETS
• MARVIN WILLIAMS – CHARLOTTE HORNETS
• JEREMY LIN – BROOKLYN NETS
• JAMEER NELSON – DETROIT PISTONS
• THADDEUS YOUNG – INDIANA PACERS

Basketball Pedigree

Basketball in his blood

Personal Life

• Married to his wife Laura for 31 years and has four children (Brittany, Caroline, Hudson, and Josh)
• His son, Hudson, played under Mark for the Charlotte 49ers
• Father, Denny, was a college and NBA coach. Denny also won the 1955 Oklahoma State Championship as a player
• Brother Brent Price played 10 seasons in the NBA and other brother Matt played at Appalachian State
• Board member of Charlotte FCA and previously volunteered at the Atlanta Mission
• Active at Forest Hill Church in Charlotte

“Oklahoma’s Greatest Basketball Player”

• An article written in the Oklahoman in 2014 dubbed Mark Price the greatest basketball player that the state has ever produced.

“Mark Price is a literal Oklahoman and a figurative giant. The greatest basketball player our state has produced. Price is the only Oklahoma high school-bred player ever named first-team All-NBA.”

Berry Tramel | Writer | The Oklahoman

In Their Words…

“Mark plays with a lot of desire and demands the best of himself.”

“Mark is very level-headed. He has come to realize that if the head is out of control, the body doesn’t know what to do. That’s what being a playmaker is all about.”

“He was a fierce competitor on the court. Off the court, he was a real man. He would stand up for what he believes, which is keeping God and family first. That’s the sign of a real man.”

Lenny Wilkens | Hall of Fame Coach

“Steve Clifford will probably not get Coach of the Year honors this season, but he’s doing a hell of a job down in Charlotte with the Bobcats. So is his staff. There are a couple of future NBA coaches down there in Patrick Ewing and Mark Price.”

David Aldridge | NBA

In His Own Words…

Mentors:

“Working with Stan Van Gundy was a great experience. I feel like one of Stan’s strengths is preparation and defense and there is not a more prepared guy, night-in and night-out, than Stan Van Gundy. I learned a lot being a part of his staff.”

“Steve Clifford is a great communicator. I learned from Steve that communicating clearly with both the staff and the players is crucial to success. Everyone needs to understand their role.”

“I am grateful for the opportunities to have played for, learned from, and coached alongside many great coaches. I’ve tried to combine different things I’ve learned from each of them, while also incorporating my own personality to find what works best.”

Defensive Philosophy:

“Every good team in the playoffs has the ability to score the ball. If you’re playing in the NBA, you’re a good offensive player. But the teams who pride themselves on executing defensively are the ones who win and advance in the postseason.”

“It begins with developing a culture of commitment on the defensive end of the floor.”

“The game is about spacing, pin-down screens, pick-and-rolls, post-ups, everybody has a different little take here or there, but it all comes down to defending the same kinds of things. It’s just about developing the scheme and getting your guys to buy into that commitment to defend.”

His Mission:

“As a coach, I am passionate about passing on the knowledge that I have gained from my own experiences to the next generation of players. My mission is to coach winning basketball with a focus on excellence and integrity. I will mentor and develop young men to be successful on and off the court during and after their playing careers.”

Kauffman Sports Management Group