By Bill Collmer (special to Pickin’ Splinters)
JASPER — In the early 1990’s, one last name became synonymous with high
school boys’ basketball in Steuben County … Price.
The name is so respected through Steuben, Livingston and Allegany counties
that this weekend during the five-game Hall of Fame Showcase at
Wayland-Cohocton, the late Tom Price will be honored.
Here is how it began.
Merritt Russell “Russ” Price attended Jasper Central School graduating in
1954. Following high school, he attended Rochester Business Institute. In
April of 1961, Russ and the former Deanna Thomas were married. Together
they purchased a dairy farm in Jasper which they operated and raised their
family of 13 children, seven boys and six girls.
Russ spent much of his life involved in sports, either playing, coaching or
attending his children’s and grandchildren’s athletic events. His love of
sports, though, paled in comparison to the love he had for his family. Russ
loved team sports, particularly basketball and baseball, which he coached
as his kids were growing up. While attending Basketball games Russ would
sit in the same spot in the stands. It didn’t matter if he had kids playing
or not. He’d go to games where he didn’t know anyone playing, because he
loved the game, he loved watching it played and played the right way.
In 1987, Jasper merged with their neighbors Troupsburg to form one school
district, Jasper-Troupsburg.
In 1990, twin brothers Bill and Bob Price were brought up to the
J-T varsity as freshmen. Younger brother Trevor would later join them on
the varsity team and the three were starting to have an impact. Meanwhile
their older brother Tom, a 1984 graduate of Jasper Central, went on to earn
his Bachelors Degree in Business at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va.
After college, Tom moved back to the area and started Pricestead Farms in
Jasper. While also pursuing a career as a high school basketball coach, he
started out coaching fifth and sixth-grade boys’ basketball at J-T from
1989-1991, junior varsity girls’ basketball from 1990-1992, junior high
boys’ basketball from 1992-95.
With Bill, Bob and Trevor in the starting lineup all standing 6’3” and
taller playing the guard positions, J-T would start to dominate. Bill
averaged 18 point per game along with 11 rebounds, Bob averaged 15 points
and 6 rebounds and Trevor averaged 12 points and 9 rebounds in 1991 where
they finished the season 15-7 losing to Geneva DeSales in the Sectional
quarterfinals.
The following season with all five starters returning, the Wildcats would
start to cement themselves as a contender, they advanced to the Class DD
Sectional Semifinals losing to local powerhouse Prattsburgh and finished
the season 18-5.
J-T would dominate in 1993 and would win their first sectional championship
as a combined school defeating Fillmore in the Section V Championship at
the Rochester War Memorial. Trevor was named the tournament’s most valuable
player. They fell to Clyde-Savannah in the Class D State Qualifier and
finished the season 22-3.
“As I got older, I never realized what an honor it was to play with Bob and
Trevor until after I graduated from high school,” Bill Price said. “It’s
funny sometimes the things you take for granted. I remember Trevor being as
strong as a bull, and Bob’s temper. Bobby would yell at the ball boy if he
didn’t get him the basketball quick enough. Both were the best teammates I
ever had though. They wanted to win, but they wanted to do it in the right
way. Respect for your opponent was one of the best truths my dad ever
taught me. He hated players who put the spotlight on themselves.
“As intense as we played, we always respected our opponent. We were blessed
to have some great teammates too, which enabled us to win sectionals my
senior year, and come close to getting to states,” Bill Price added.
With four starters graduating, including Bill and Bob, Trevor was back as
the lone returner for his senior season in 1994. He was joined by younger
brother Sam on the varsity squad. Not much was expected from J-T in the
1994 season, however they would go on to earn the No. 1 seed in sectionals
and win back-to-back sectional championships defeating Bolivar at Alfred
University with Trevor once again being named the tournament’s most
valuable player. They finished the season 18-4 following a loss to
Clyde-Savannah in the State Qualifier.
With Trevor graduating in 1994 that left Sam as the only Price scheduled to
return in 1995. However ,with the departure of coach Bill Horn, that left
an opening and Tom Price was hired as the varsity boys coach at
Jasper-Troupsburg.
J-T would go 13-8 in Tom’s first year as coach, losing to Naples in the
first round of sectionals. However, the next two seasons would end up being
the two best years of his coaching career. In the 1997 season, J-T would
enter sectionals as the No. 1 seed with a perfect record of 20-0. They
would meet Batavia Notre-Dame who was also undefeated in the Championship
game at the Rochester War Memorial, Notre-Dame won the game 55-46, J-T
finished with a record of 22-1.
The following season would end up being the best season in the history for
Jasper-Troupsburg basketball. They won the Section V title, defeating
Gananda at the War Memorial 64-62. J-T got over the state qualifier hump by
defeating Lima Christian in the state qualifier then defeated the Section
VI champion Hinsdale in the Far Western Regional and advanced to the New
York State Final Four in Glens Falls.
In the state final four, J-T defeated Section IV Champion Candor (and
future Division I player Toby Foster) to advance to the State Championship
game against Long Island powerhouse, Bridgehampton. The Killer Bees of
Bridgehampton won 67-33. J-T star guard Derek Butler would be named to the
All-Tournament team and would also be named First team All-State by the New
York State Sportswriters Association.
Over the next several years, Tom and his J-T boys would remain very
competitive and would suffer some heartbreakers, in 2000 they would finish
17-5 losing to Fillmore in sectionals, 52-47 in overtime. In 2001 they
would drop a 49-46 overtime loss to Webster Christian in sectionals. 2002
would see Tom’s first losing season finishing below .500 for the first time
in his career finishing the season 9-13.
He would quickly turn things around and in 2003 entering sectionals as the
No. 3 seed, they defeated league rival Prattsburgh 52-47 in the sectional
semifinals and would suffer another heartbreaking 52-48 loss to Lima
Christian in the Championship game. They finished the season with a record
of 16-7.
In 2004 they entered sectionals at the number four seed and would upset the
No. 1 seed, Batavia Notre-Dame and advance to the championship game against
Genesee Valley but the Jaguars came out on top, J-T finished the season
16-8.
J-T would have up-and-down seasons over the next few years, Tom would
suffer losing seasons back-to-back for the first time in his career in 2005
and 2006. However, in 2008 they were right back in the thick of things only
to suffer another heartbreaker, a 53-46 overtime loss in the sectional
semifinals to Fillmore.
The 2009 season ended up being a memorable season for all the wrong
reasons. Five players violated the J-T athletic code of conduct and were
dismissed from the team leaving Tom with only three players available. He
had a choice to either end the season or bring up players from their
winless junior varsity team to play the remaining three regular season
games and sectionals. He decided to bring up the JV players and continue
the season. They ended the regular season 10-10 and were eliminated in the
first round of sectionals.
The 2010 season ended with another overtime loss in sectionals, this time
to league rival Arkport.
2012 would see the arrival of another Price to the team, this time it was
Tom’s oldest son, Dylan, a sophomore. They would finish the season 15-5
with Dylan being named to the Spectator Great Eight second team. In 2013
they would enter sectionals as the No. 2 seed, however they would suffer
another heartbreaker losing to Fillmore, 35-32 in the semifinals.
2014 would be another stellar year for the Wildcats as they would enter
sectionals as the No. 2 seed with a record of 16-2. They would win their
first-round game then meet up with league rival Hammondsport in what would
end up being a thrilling 69-62 victory in overtime to advance to the Blue
Cross Arena and the Class D1 championship game where longtime rival Batavia
Notre Dame would once again be the opponent. The Fighting Irish would
prevail, 62-37. Dylan Price was named to the Section V All-Tournament team
and J-T would finish the season 18-3.
”I would watch some of the games he coached and some of the teams he had,
and be amazed that he could compete with far less talent than a lot of
teams he played,” Bill Price said. “I remember going to a lot of games
thinking J-T was going to get killed, and not only did that not happen …
they’d win! That was Tom. He could elevate his team to win, no matter who
he had in uniform.
“He also had a tremendous sense of humor, which made him a favorite among
area referees,” Bill Price continued. “My best memory of Tom coaching
though, wasn’t all the wins or all the awards he received. It was after he
gave the MVP award to his son Dylan his senior year, and then held him and
physically shook because he was crying so hard. Tom never showed any
emotion. He showed it then. Family was everything to him. It trumped
everything in life.”
Tom added another son to the team for 2015 season, this time his second
oldest son Josh. J-T entered sectionals with a record 9-10 but would win
two games to advance to the semifinals where they would meet up with No. 1
Genesee-Valley. GV proved to be too much and defeated the Wildcats. J-T
finished the season 11-11 and Josh Price was named to the Class D1
All-Tournament team.
In September of 2015, the Price family had to deal with the tragic death of
Russell in an automobile accident in Greenwood. The Patriarch of the Price
Family was 77 years old.
“My father was the best coach I ever had. His words still ring true today,
even more so. He always preached “team” over “individual.” It didn’t
matter the sport,” Bill Price said. “I remember he’d hide the newspaper
from us after basketball games in high school because he didn’t want us
reading it and getting a ‘big head.’ I had to have my mom let me read some
of the articles behind his back. My how times have changed. Deep in his
heart, he was bursting with pride, but he always preached team over
individual accomplishments.
“The best basketball and baseball games I ever played in, were played at
home. It helps having 13 siblings to compete against. I can remember epic
fights in our driveway between us seven brothers as basketball games turned
into boxing matches,” Bill Price recalled. “Dad would watch from afar,
shouting out tidbits of wisdom. He’d let us compete, even let us fight, but
when it was over, he reminded us we’re still family. I remember baseball
games too. Tom would pitch a tennis ball with our garage as the back stop.
I would stand in awe at how fast he could throw a ball, and how he could
hit it even further.
“I remember being so proud of him, and wanting to be just like him when I
got older. I would go to softball games in Troupsburg, or town team
basketball games in Addison, and I always came home from those games
thinking the best two players were in the car with me. Tom and Dad,” Bill
Price added.
Following Russell’s death, Bill Price was sitting around the park in
Jamestown watching the kids play basketball and wanted to get involved with
sports but was struggling. He wanted to do something to get close to his
dad again. Maple Grove needed a junior varsity girls coach and Bill Price
applied. He got the job and then before the 2017-2018 season he took over
the varsity job.
“Getting to that biggest stage in high school basketball would be a dream I
would fulfill as a coach, not a player. It was a dream that was started in
me by my brother Tom. I got into coaching after talking to Tom. He said,
‘why not?’ I was nervous and scared, and I found it to be a whole lot
harder than just playing,” Bill Price remembered. “My first year as varsity
girls coach at Maple Grove we were a little above .500, and then my second
year we went to states. I thought, ‘This is easy.’ It’s not. I was spoiled
with a great bunch of kids who worked hard to accomplish a goal they’ll
remember for the rest of their lives.
“During that run in 2019, Tom came to one game in Olean. It was a game we
lost, and we wouldn’t lose again until Hudson Valley. I remember seeing Tom
in the stands, and I turned to my assistant coach and said, ‘I got to up my
game. We’ve got a legend in the building.”‘ Apparently, I didn’t ‘up’ it
enough, but Tom told me he liked my team and thought we could go far. He
was right. He was ALWAYS right,” Bill Price said. “After we lost to
Cambridge in the state semi-finals, Tom told me I experienced what few
coaches get to do. He experienced it back in 1998 at J-T. I remember when
he returned from Glens Falls with that team, he spoke in front of a crowd
that had gathered at the school and looked right at me and said, “You
deserved to play at states.” I was so honored that he said that. I would
get there a couple decades later, not as a player, but as a coach. Tom’s
words pushed me to achieve that goal.”
For Tom and the J-T boys, 2016 would be a forgettable 6-14 season and 2017
would feature another heart-breaking loss in sectionals to Batavia
Notre-Dame once again, this time by a score of 69-67 in Jasper in the first
round of sectionals. The Wildcats fell to Fillmore in the first round of
the 2018 sectional tournament and finished the season 9-12. 2019 would see
the arrival of another Price, Tom’s son Noah would join the team as a
sophomore. J-T would get upset in the first round of the 2019 sectionals by
Honeoye and finish the season 13-8.
The 2020 season was another up and down season for Tom and the Wildcats,
but yet was another example of any given day. In early January, they hosted
the Avoca Tigers and lost by a score of 76-43 in a game that was never in
doubt. In February the two teams would meet up again this time in the
Steuben County tournament semifinals in Bath. The Avoca Tigers had won 18
straight heading into the game but the tough-as-nails Wildcats weren’t
going to go down easy, in a back-and-forth game that left everyone on the
edge of their seats, Avoca prevailed, 55-52. J-T entered Sectionals as the
No. 6 seed and defeated Pavilion in the first round and took a road trip to
Batavia in the second round to meet up with Batavia Notre Dame where the
hosts won a hard fought 71-58 game. J-T finished the season 14-8.
We didn’t know it at the time but that game on February 28, 2020 would
Tom’s final game. On Sunday, March 15, Tom was killed in a car accident in
Penn Yan after helping a fellow farmer that morning.
Tom finished his 25-year coaching career with a record of 345-190. He was
named Section V Coach of the year in 2008, 2012, 2014 and 2019. Tom built a
stellar program at J-T, they were contenders year-in and year-out. It
didn’t matter what their record was you could never take them lightly. Tom
had the ability to take a group of kids with little or no talent and mold
them into a contender in a short time. Tom was always prepared; he scouted
every team on his schedule despite their record. He was always ready and he
made sure his kids were too.
J-T had a reputation, not only in Steuben County but in all of Section V.
You knew when you played them that they were going to be tough, they were
going to play fundamental, no-nonsense basketball and they always had
shooters. Most seasons all five guys on the floor could shoot three
pointers. You weren’t going to see flashy behind the back passes, you were
going to see old-school basketball the way it was meant to be played.
Throughout his 25-year career Tom saw it all, heart stopping wins and
heartbreaking losses. Buzzer beaters and blowouts. He was well known around
Section Five and everybody liked him. He was honest as could be and would
tell you exactly what was on his mind. He had built long standing
relationships with area coaches not only in Steuben County but Allegany and
Livingston counties as well.
“Right after dad died in 2015, I got into coaching at Maple Grove. I
started with JV girls, and eventually moved up to varsity,” Bill Price
said. “I would later tell a reporter out here in Jamestown who covered our
state run two years ago that every time I went into a gym before the start
of a game, I’d look across the gym and see my dad. His favorite place to
sit was on the bottom row bleacher right at half court. He used to sit in
the top row bleacher so he could rest his back against the wall, but his
hips gave out later in life, and he couldn’t make it to the top row, so he
would sit on that bottom row, holding his cane with his baseball cap tipped
to the side in his typical way. That was my dad. And every time I would
start a game coaching, and I was nervous, I would look over and see him. It
calmed me down. It gave me confidence known dad was there with me.
This season, I will look over and see Tom sitting right next to dad. I will
gaze with tear-streaked eyes and know they’re watching over me. Cheering me
on. Waiting for me to join them someday,” Bill Price added.
While Tom got to coach three of his son’s at J-T, Bill has two daughters on
his team at Maple Grove, Madison Price who is a senior, and Claire Price
who is a freshman. His son Bill is his manager.
Tom’s influence will live on through not only his own kids but his players
over the years. Several players became coaches themselves a couple of them
even coached against him. One of his players Lou Zver was his JV coach his
final few seasons and coached the varsity boys in 2021. In the abbreviated
season, J-T finished the regular season 6-2 and hosted a first-round
sectional game against rival Batavia Notre-Dame. Notre-Dame would go on to
win a hard fought, 43-39 game. Noah Price was a second team Steuben
All-County selection in his senior season and was also selected to play in
the Exceptional Senior game.
“I only had two coaches my whole basketball career, Tom was one of those,
from 5th grade on, the schemes, practices were all consistent, work hard
and believe in yourself,” Lou Zver said.
Noah graduating signifies the end of an era at Jasper-Troupsburg. Since
Bill and Bob Price were called up to the varsity team as Freshman in 1990.
There has been a Price either on the roster as a player or on the sideline
coaching every single season since, 31 years total. The 2021-2022 season
will be the first time there won’t be a Price on the team in some capacity.
Tom’s favorite song was “Turn the Page” by Bob Seger. For
Jasper-Troupsburg, they’ll be turning the page.
Tom Price will be fondly remembered in not only Jasper and Troupsburg but
in all of Steuben County. He’ll be remembered as an outstanding father,
brother, coach and friend. He was a positive influence on everyone he came
in contact with, whether it was a player or fellow coach. Tom loved
coaching and he did it for all of the right reasons. Tom was competitive
and thorough. He always made sure his kids were ready to play. Tom was the
ultimate role model for not only his own kids but the kids he coached. A
hard worker who did things the right way and was successful in everything
he did.
To memorialize a dad, son, brother, uncle, coach and friend, donations are
now being accepted for the Tom Price Memorial Fund. Efforts towards
dedication and or improvement of the J-T gymnasium, along with scholarship
possibilities are being explored in cooperation with the Jasper-Troupsburg
Central School District and the Price family. For more information, please
contact Jean Green mamajgreen@gmail.com or Andy Vanskiver
9tbone@frontiernet.net
The organizers of the Hall of Fame Showcase at Wayland-Cohocton High school
have decided to dedicate this years showcase in the memory of Tom Price.
The five-game, one-day showcase will be held on Saturday, Dec. 4. The first
game is at noon, the J-T boys taking on Elba. The second game is a girls
game, Maple Grove, coached by Bill Price, taking on Pavilion. Between
games, the Price family will be in attendance for a brief ceremony honoring
Tom.
The final three games are boys games. At 4 p.m. is Marcus Whitman and
Cal-Mum followed by Avoca-Prattsburgh vs. York at 6 p.m. and at 8 p.m. the
Wayland-Cohocton boys take on Wellsville.
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