Feb. 20, 2007

Franthea Price was an integral part of the Iowa's women's basketball dynasty of the late 1980's and early 1990's. So much so, she was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, becoming Iowa's second player to win this coveted award and ending her career as the Big Ten Player of the Year in 1990. Earning All-Big Ten selections three times during her college career as well as several All-American honors, Price helped Iowa to four consecutive conference titles. Fueled by being part of a winning program, Price drove hard each year and earned many honors.
 
As a young girl, Price looked up to her father, James, a River Rouge High School basketball player in the 1960's, who was a part of two state championships. His daughter followed close behind, making a name for herself at the same school, winning the first women's state championship for the Panthers in 1984 after hitting a 13-foot jump shot from the baseline in the final seconds. A year later, Price was honored with the Miss Basketball Award, the top individual award a high school basketball player can receive in the state of Michigan.

After growing up in River Rouge, a small community just 10 miles south of Detroit, Price decided on the University of Iowa to stage her collegiate career. Perhaps the reason why Price looked past her native state to Iowa was because of legendary head coach C. Vivian Stringer.

Stringer was only in her third year as the Hawkeyes head coach when Price entered her freshman year. However she had already garnered National Coach of the Year accolades in 1982 as well as success leading various U.S. teams to medal finishes. Stringer, now head coach at Rutgers, would go on to claim two more National Coach of the Year accolades and was inducted to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001. One of the most successful coaches in Big Ten history, Stringer tallied a 269-84 career record and a .789 winning percentage in conference play through her 12-year stint at Iowa. It may have been a balance of Price seeing something in Stringer and Stringer seeing something in Price.

"I saw a franchise in Price. She was one of the top two players in the country," said Stringer. "She had the ability to shoot the ball, left or right handed at three-point range and you couldn't even tell which hand she was using, because she was ambidextrous. It was unlike anything I had ever seen.  She had extremely quick hands and great hand-eye coordination. She was a real competitor and the valedictorian of her class."

By the time Price graduated, the pair compiled an overall record of 105-18 and a Big Ten record of 65-7. Iowa would top the conference in both turnover margin and scoring defense each year, and twice held opponents to the lowest shooting percentage of their season.

Relatively short for a forward, the 5-9 Price didn't seem to have any trouble adjusting in her first year on the Iowa campus. In fact it may be an understatement; the starting freshman dominated the Big Ten scene, picking up Iowa's first Big Ten Freshman of the Year award. Combining youth and experience, Price and junior All-American Michelle Edwards helped the Hawkeyes finish 17-1 in conference play to share the Big Ten title with Ohio State. The squad advanced to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament that year before falling to eventual NCAA runner-up Louisiana Tech.

Price's success rested upon her own internal drive as well as the system that coach Stringer implemented.

Iowa's Price was named the Big Ten Player of the Year in 1990 after earning the conference's Freshman of the Year award in 1987.

"The goal was to always strive to be the best you can be while expecting nothing to be handed to you. Whatever you got you had to earn," said Edwards who is now an assistant at Rutgers. "Franthea bought into that philosophy and lived by it. Of course, her game was tremendous. She was a hard worker and wanted to win. On a personal level, she was a team player. She was probably one of the best teammates I ever had."

Price entered her sophomore year somewhat of a seasoned veteran. That summer, she was selected to represent the United States in the William Jones Cup in Taipei, Taiwan. The team, consisting of the nation's top-12 college players, edged out South Korea, 74-73, in the final game to earn the U.S's third consecutive Jones Cup gold medal. In the seven-game round-robin tournament, Price contributed 48 points and 22 rebounds. She also lived up to her Street and Smith Preseason All-America nod by garnering her first All-Big Ten first-team selection during her sophomore year. The Hawkeyes won their second Big Ten title, while posting an impressive 29-2 overall record. Iowa's only losses that season were to Ohio State and the Hawkeyes' final opponent, Long Beach State in their second consecutive trip to the NCAA Elite Eight.

After another busy summer in which she was one of only 57 players invited to the 1988 U.S. Olympic Trials, Price entered her junior season poised to lead the Big Ten's top scoring team to a third consecutive Big Ten title and deeper into the postseason. The Hawkeyes were successful in their Big Ten title quest as Price continued to pick up postseason accolades. Price garnered Kodak All-District honors that year despite being a second-team All-Big Ten selection. Iowa closed out the 1988-89 season with a loss to Stanford, 98-74, in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

By her senior year, Price came into her own, leading the Hawkeyes in scoring (21.2 ppg), rebounding (7.1 rpg), steals (2.9 spg) and three-point field goals (47). In addition, Price scored in double figures in 34 of her last 35 games to lead the conference in scoring with 19.8 points per game. Price earned her second All-America nod and second first-team All-Big Ten accolade that year. She also became only the second Iowa player to be named a Kodak All-American after her teammate, Edwards, earned the honor just two years before. After posting a 15-3 conference record, the Hawkeyes garnered their fourth consecutive Big Ten title. Despite ending her collegiate career in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, it marked Iowa's seventh NCAA appearance in program history.

When Price left Iowa, her name was littered throughout the record book. She holds the school record for career steals with 321, and is tied for first for most steals in a single game with nine. Price also ranks fifth in career scoring (1,742), third in career assists (387) and eighth in career rebounds (726).

Because there were no opportunities to play professionally in the U.S., Price traveled overseas to play professional ball in Spain for several years, before joining the WNBA Sacramento Monarchs for one season. Appearing in 26 games in 1998, Price averaged 4.9 points and 1.7 rebounds per game and despite totaling only 379 minutes, she led the team in three-point percentage (.359).

 "I saw a very loyal and trustworthy young woman, who would give everything in her life if she believed, and yes, she did believe," said Stringer. "And so I'm honored to have coached her.  She had the unique trait of opening herself with her teammates and her coaches personally, and would not sacrifice anything in what she believed in.  Price is what you call one of those unique four or five players; you don't find players like that. She's one of the finest athletes that I'd ever coached."

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