Talking with Ronnie Price
One thing that's impressed me since taking over this beat has been the accessibility of the Jazz players. As a kid growing up outside of Washington, D.C., I never would have thought of having an NBA player show up at one of my basketball camps.
It seems like there's way more opportunity for that kind of interaction here in Utah. This summer, the Jazz have taken Morris Almond and Kyrylo Fesenko on the road to host Jr. Jazz clinics across the region.
Matt Harpring and Ronnie Price, meanwhile, have hosted their own camps in the area. Wanting to hear Price's thoughts on the Brevin Knight deal, I went down to Lehi on Wednesday to talk with him as camp let out at 3 p.m.
Here's a transcript of our interview:
Q: What have you been up to this summer?
A: Just working out and being with family. I've been in Utah the whole time. I went to San Diego for my honeymoon, but other than that, I've been here.
Q: I wanted to ask what you thought of the Jazz bringing in Brevin?
A: Jason Hart was one of my best friends on the team. From that standpoint, I'm happy for Jason because he's back home in L.A. with his family. He gets to sleep in his own bed at night. So it's kind of a blessing in disguise for him. He's been like a guardian angel to me these past three years that I've been in the league. He's been there and helped me grow a lot mentally. He's helped me with a lot of mental aspects of this game. I'm just thankful that I've had him around long enough so I could learn as much as I've learned from him.
I've watched Brevin play his whole career and been a fan of Brevin Knight. The style that he plays, the way he doesn't have to be super explosive and just be a crazy athlete, but still in all he can get the job done, and he just does all the right things on the court. I'm excited to start the season and learn from Brevin. It's going to be fun. We're all trying to accomplish the same goal - - that's win a championship - - so I'm excited.
Q: Are you cool with the competition?
A: Yeah. I mean, everybody in the league can play. No matter who you're playing or who you're practicing against, it's all the same. As far as us competing, we're just going to compete to make each other better. We're going to root each other on. I'm looking forward to it. He's my teammate. So we have to encourage each other to keep working hard. We have to push each other every day in practice and then let the rest take care of itself.
Q: You were so good the last 30 games of the season and the playoffs in that backup role. Did they leave it with you at all that you'd be the No. 2 point guard?
A: The management is the management, the coaching staff is the coaching staff. There's no jobs but maybe a few that's actually set in stone on this team. So we all know that as players and we all respect that. Whatever my role is, I have to be able to face it and be able to do the best I can. It's just something that comes along with the game. As easy as it is to make it into a competition or anything like that, it's really not.
Q: When I was talking to Jason, he was saying, "Please remind everybody that Ronnie and I are actually really good friends."
A: I'm telling you, great friends. Like I said, he's been a guardian angel. There's so many mental up and downs that you can face in this game, when you get to this level of basketball. The character that Jason has and the man that he is has been special. If you watch, he's my biggest fan when I'm on the court and I'm his biggest fan when he was on the court. And I think that's the way it's supposed to be as teammates in this league. If not, you can drive yourself crazy.
Q: What have you been working on as far as your game this summer? Is there any dimension you're trying to add?
A: Playing as much as possible. Just keeping my rhythm up to par. That's the one thing that you lose as a player when you're in the summer. You get caught up in the workouts and individual shooting and getting stronger and then none of that even matters if you don't have a rhythm of playing the game. The best thing that I found out is the best way for me to get better is by constantly playing. As long as I'm playing and have the ball in my hands, running the team in open gyms and pick-ups, it just works out for the best for me.
When I get my time to be in the gym by myself, of course I shoot as much as I can and work on my ballhandling. But when I'm actually playing, I work on different timings and different situations. Pick-and-roll situations. Coming off screens. Just pushing the ball up the court, making plays for others. All that type of thing is what I use pick-up games for.
Q: We heard you and Deron Williams practiced with the Jazz's summer-league team. Is that something you've been doing regularly this summer?
A: Deron's been on and off out here. I haven't had the chance to work out with him a lot. We've been in the gym a few times together. I've also been around Paul [Millsap] and his brothers a few times. We've come in the gym and shot some shots under the gun and played some one-on-one games. We've come across each other's paths quite often.
Q: How'd Deron look?
A: Deron's always great. He works hard. He takes a lot of pride in his game and that's what makes him good. He doesn't let himself get out of shape. He doesn't let himself get out of whack when it comes to playing the game. That's why he's an elite player in this league. He's showing it right now in the Olympics - - that he's just as good if not better than any other point guard in the NBA.
Q: So you're watching all of the U.S. games?
A: I record them. I've got three teammates that are playing. I've got A.K. and Booz and Deron. I watch them as much as I can. Deron's playing great. I wish him the best. He's going to shock the world. There's going to be some things that he's going to do on the court that people don't realize he can do. He can really play.
Q: How's this camp going for you? What's the emphasis with it?
A: Well, this is a learning experience for me and all my coaching staff because this is our first camp together and my first camp that I've actually done on my own and been a major part of. So for me, I'm learning just as much as the kids are. I'm learning the do's and don'ts of setting up a camp and running a camp. But overall, the kids are having fun. They're enjoying running up and down the court, competing against each other.
One thing that I've been emphasizing more that probably isn't emphasized as much is defense. I'm letting them know how serious I am about defense and hustle. We have a lot of drills that are set up for that. Just for defense. Just so they can understand that when they come to this camp, they're going to work and they're going to learn and hopefully they're going to get better.
I try to put some of my energy and things that I do on the court into these kids. If I can just reach out to one and make a difference in one kid, that's all that matters.
Q: They said you're here every minute of the camp. Is being that hands on something you wanted?
A: For sure. Some people have camps and they never show up to them, but maybe an hour or 15 minutes of the day. And I think that's cheating the kids. So for me, I wanted to make it a big thing and make it a big deal that I'm here every single second of my camp. If my name is on a camp, then I'm going to be here, of course, and I'm going to give as much input as I think these kids need. I hope that they respect what I'm telling them and I'm only trying to make them better.
Q: Is it too early to get excited about next season when there's still two months of summer?
A: I was excited about next season immediately after our season was over with. That's what it is being a player, especially when you haven't won a championship and you get close and you know that your team can compete. When you lose a game, the first thing you want to do is put a jersey back on and play all over again. All the games that you lost, you want to play them over again. I've been waiting and extremely excited to play again, especially when you know how good your team is and how good they can be. It's nothing but anxiousness and just hard work and effort that's going into this summer to make next season better than last.
--Ross Siler
It seems like there's way more opportunity for that kind of interaction here in Utah. This summer, the Jazz have taken Morris Almond and Kyrylo Fesenko on the road to host Jr. Jazz clinics across the region.
Matt Harpring and Ronnie Price, meanwhile, have hosted their own camps in the area. Wanting to hear Price's thoughts on the Brevin Knight deal, I went down to Lehi on Wednesday to talk with him as camp let out at 3 p.m.
Here's a transcript of our interview:
Q: What have you been up to this summer?
A: Just working out and being with family. I've been in Utah the whole time. I went to San Diego for my honeymoon, but other than that, I've been here.
Q: I wanted to ask what you thought of the Jazz bringing in Brevin?
A: Jason Hart was one of my best friends on the team. From that standpoint, I'm happy for Jason because he's back home in L.A. with his family. He gets to sleep in his own bed at night. So it's kind of a blessing in disguise for him. He's been like a guardian angel to me these past three years that I've been in the league. He's been there and helped me grow a lot mentally. He's helped me with a lot of mental aspects of this game. I'm just thankful that I've had him around long enough so I could learn as much as I've learned from him.
I've watched Brevin play his whole career and been a fan of Brevin Knight. The style that he plays, the way he doesn't have to be super explosive and just be a crazy athlete, but still in all he can get the job done, and he just does all the right things on the court. I'm excited to start the season and learn from Brevin. It's going to be fun. We're all trying to accomplish the same goal - - that's win a championship - - so I'm excited.
Q: Are you cool with the competition?
A: Yeah. I mean, everybody in the league can play. No matter who you're playing or who you're practicing against, it's all the same. As far as us competing, we're just going to compete to make each other better. We're going to root each other on. I'm looking forward to it. He's my teammate. So we have to encourage each other to keep working hard. We have to push each other every day in practice and then let the rest take care of itself.
Q: You were so good the last 30 games of the season and the playoffs in that backup role. Did they leave it with you at all that you'd be the No. 2 point guard?
A: The management is the management, the coaching staff is the coaching staff. There's no jobs but maybe a few that's actually set in stone on this team. So we all know that as players and we all respect that. Whatever my role is, I have to be able to face it and be able to do the best I can. It's just something that comes along with the game. As easy as it is to make it into a competition or anything like that, it's really not.
Q: When I was talking to Jason, he was saying, "Please remind everybody that Ronnie and I are actually really good friends."
A: I'm telling you, great friends. Like I said, he's been a guardian angel. There's so many mental up and downs that you can face in this game, when you get to this level of basketball. The character that Jason has and the man that he is has been special. If you watch, he's my biggest fan when I'm on the court and I'm his biggest fan when he was on the court. And I think that's the way it's supposed to be as teammates in this league. If not, you can drive yourself crazy.
Q: What have you been working on as far as your game this summer? Is there any dimension you're trying to add?
A: Playing as much as possible. Just keeping my rhythm up to par. That's the one thing that you lose as a player when you're in the summer. You get caught up in the workouts and individual shooting and getting stronger and then none of that even matters if you don't have a rhythm of playing the game. The best thing that I found out is the best way for me to get better is by constantly playing. As long as I'm playing and have the ball in my hands, running the team in open gyms and pick-ups, it just works out for the best for me.
When I get my time to be in the gym by myself, of course I shoot as much as I can and work on my ballhandling. But when I'm actually playing, I work on different timings and different situations. Pick-and-roll situations. Coming off screens. Just pushing the ball up the court, making plays for others. All that type of thing is what I use pick-up games for.
Q: We heard you and Deron Williams practiced with the Jazz's summer-league team. Is that something you've been doing regularly this summer?
A: Deron's been on and off out here. I haven't had the chance to work out with him a lot. We've been in the gym a few times together. I've also been around Paul [Millsap] and his brothers a few times. We've come in the gym and shot some shots under the gun and played some one-on-one games. We've come across each other's paths quite often.
Q: How'd Deron look?
A: Deron's always great. He works hard. He takes a lot of pride in his game and that's what makes him good. He doesn't let himself get out of shape. He doesn't let himself get out of whack when it comes to playing the game. That's why he's an elite player in this league. He's showing it right now in the Olympics - - that he's just as good if not better than any other point guard in the NBA.
Q: So you're watching all of the U.S. games?
A: I record them. I've got three teammates that are playing. I've got A.K. and Booz and Deron. I watch them as much as I can. Deron's playing great. I wish him the best. He's going to shock the world. There's going to be some things that he's going to do on the court that people don't realize he can do. He can really play.
Q: How's this camp going for you? What's the emphasis with it?
A: Well, this is a learning experience for me and all my coaching staff because this is our first camp together and my first camp that I've actually done on my own and been a major part of. So for me, I'm learning just as much as the kids are. I'm learning the do's and don'ts of setting up a camp and running a camp. But overall, the kids are having fun. They're enjoying running up and down the court, competing against each other.
One thing that I've been emphasizing more that probably isn't emphasized as much is defense. I'm letting them know how serious I am about defense and hustle. We have a lot of drills that are set up for that. Just for defense. Just so they can understand that when they come to this camp, they're going to work and they're going to learn and hopefully they're going to get better.
I try to put some of my energy and things that I do on the court into these kids. If I can just reach out to one and make a difference in one kid, that's all that matters.
Q: They said you're here every minute of the camp. Is being that hands on something you wanted?
A: For sure. Some people have camps and they never show up to them, but maybe an hour or 15 minutes of the day. And I think that's cheating the kids. So for me, I wanted to make it a big thing and make it a big deal that I'm here every single second of my camp. If my name is on a camp, then I'm going to be here, of course, and I'm going to give as much input as I think these kids need. I hope that they respect what I'm telling them and I'm only trying to make them better.
Q: Is it too early to get excited about next season when there's still two months of summer?
A: I was excited about next season immediately after our season was over with. That's what it is being a player, especially when you haven't won a championship and you get close and you know that your team can compete. When you lose a game, the first thing you want to do is put a jersey back on and play all over again. All the games that you lost, you want to play them over again. I've been waiting and extremely excited to play again, especially when you know how good your team is and how good they can be. It's nothing but anxiousness and just hard work and effort that's going into this summer to make next season better than last.
--Ross Siler
6:37 PM
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1 Comments:
Ronnie is the real deal. I've known him since we were at UVSC together. He really is this genuine.
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