Katrina Price

Katrina Price (December 3, 1975 – January 18, 1999) was an American basketball player. A star guard in her college career at Stephen F. Austin State University, Price committed suicide after her rookie season in professional basketball.[1]

Katrina Price

Personal information
Born	December 3, 1975
Died	January 18, 1999 (aged 23) Nacogdoches, Texas
Nationality	American
Listed height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Career information
High school	La Vega (Waco, Texas)
College	Stephen F. Austin (1994–1998)
ABL draft	1998 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7th overall
Selected by the Long Beach Stingrays
Playing career	1998–1999
Position	Guard
Number	2
Career history
1998	Philadelphia Rage
Career highlights and awards
Southland Tournament MVP (1998) 2× Southland Player of the Year (1997, 1998) 3× First-team All-Southland (1996–1998) Second-team All-Southland (1995) Southland Freshman of the Year (1995)
Medals Women's basketball Representing  United States Jones Cup 1997 Taipei Team Competition

High school career

In 1994, Price was named Central Texas Player of the Year and co-Most Valuable Player for Central Texas Female Athlete of the Year. She was also a class salutatorian with a 4.25 GPA. In her senior year she led La Vega High School (Waco, Texas) to the 1994 state finals and a 32-4 record, and averaged 30.0 points, 13.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 5.0 steals per game. The previous year, she was named 1993 Volleyball MVP of District 17-3A, for her performance in that sport.

College career

In her Division I NCAA career, Price was Stephen F. Austin State University's all-time leading scorer with 2,278 career points[2] and the Southland Conference player of the year in 1997 and 1998.[3] A 5'-10" guard,[4] she was a third-team AP All-American (first team Academica All American) selection her senior season (1997–1998), averaging 22.1 points and 5.3 rebounds a game. As of 2001 Price held the record for most three-point field goals in a single championship game, with seven, in a game against the University of Toledo in 1997.

Price excelled academically as well as athletically. In high school, she was second in her graduating class, and she made the Dean's List every semester she was in college.

USA Basketball

Price competed with USA Basketball as a member of the 1997 Jones Cup Team that won the silver medal in Taipei. Several of the games were close, with the USA team winning four games by six points or fewer, including an overtime game in the semifinal match against Japan. The gold medal game against South Korea was also close, but the USA fell 76–71 to claim the silver medal for the event. Price averaged 3.0 points per game.[5]

Professional career

Price was drafted seventh overall pick by the Long Beach Stingrays in the 1998 American Basketball League draft,[6] but the team disbanded before she could play a game. She was assigned to the Philadelphia Rage roster in August. She was a reserve guard, playing in 12 of the Rage's 14 games before the league shut down in late December.[7]

Death

Price died in Nacogdoches, Texas, at the age of 23, of a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head.[8]

See also

• List of basketball players who died during their careers

References

1. "Women's pro basketball: Star player is apparent suicide". New York Times. 19 January 1999.
2. Jody Berger (10 June 2012). "Without warning". ESPN.com. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
3. "Southland basketball champions - History & Records" (PDF). southland.org. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
4. Kevin Taylor (27 February 2014). "Taylor: Years Later, Basketball Player's Suicide Is Still Puzzling". Times Record. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
5. "1997 Women's R. William Jones Cup". USA Basketball. June 10, 2010. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
6. Lena Williams (23 January 1999). "BASKETBALL: BEYOND THE GAME; A Player's Unsettling Death Leaves Others Wondering Why". New York Times. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
7. Mac Engel (24 January 1999). "Price's Suicide Leaves Void For Everyone". The Hartford Courant. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
8. "ABL player's apparent suicide brings shock and bewilderment". New York Times. 20 January 1999.