Marysville High School senior Abbey Price (11) eyes the basket during a 2023-24 game. Price will continue her hoops career at Malone University.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
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Marysville High School senior Abbey Price wanted to get her choice of college basketball programs out of the way relatively early in her prep career.
That’s why she chose Malone University in the northeastern portion of the state when she was a junior at neighboring North Union.
“I knew when I was a junior that I wanted to play at Malone,” Price said. “I actually made my decision that summer before I began my AAU season.”
Price said she had offers or inquiries from other schools such as Kentucky Wesleyan, West Liberty (West Virginia) and Indiana Wesleyan.
“I was looking for a good fit for my academics and basketball,” said Price, who will study sports and business management. “It helps that I’m also getting a full ride from Malone.”
Price was among North Union’s top scorers during her sophomore and junior seasons.
She continued that trend after transferring to Marysville.
Price led the Lady Monarchs with a 12.5 per-game scoring average as the team finished as a Division I district runner-up.
“Allison (her junior sister) and I made the adjustment to Marysville pretty well,” said Price. “Coach (Klarke) Ransome and all the girls on the team were very supportive of us.
“We didn’t go as far in the tournament as we would have liked,” said Price. “However, we were able to create a lot of great memories.”
Price, who reached the 1,000 point mark for her high school career this past season, said Malone’s women’s hoop squad has had a good history.
After a slow start to the 2023-24 campaign, the team finished with a 17-13 record.
“They had lost some players to graduation and knew they were going to be a young team this past season,” said Price. “However, they’ve got a good foundation in place.”
Price said the Malone coaching staff said she could see playing time next winter as a freshman.
“A lot will depend on how I play this summer and during the pre-season,” she said. “I won’t be playing AAU ball, but I will be at Malone quite a bit working out.
“I believe I will have an opportunity to see playing time next season,” said the MHS senior. “This will give me a chance to continue playing the sport I love and hopefully I can help impact the team.”
“Being away from home isn’t going to be easy and I wanted a coach and team that felt like family to me,” said Price. “I wanted a coach and team who were supportive of me outside of basketball and I’ve found that at Malone.”
Athletics have played a huge role in Price’s life as she also played soccer at North Union.
“My dream job (after college) would be to stay involved in sports,” she said. “I can see myself coaching basketball some day and/or being an athletic director on either the high school or collegiate level.”