Southside’s Price offered by Lawson, Iowa Central

Published 10:16 pm Friday, March 4, 2016

Southside’s Charles Price poses for a photo Friday at the Southside High School gymnasium.  Price has offers from Lawson State Community College and Iowa Central Community College. — Daniel Evans

Southside’s Charles Price poses for a photo Friday at the Southside High School gymnasium. Price has offers from Lawson State Community College and Iowa Central Community College. — Daniel Evans

Charles Price’s high school basketball career is over, but the Southside senior appears to have plenty of options at the next level.

Over the last month, Price has picked up offers from Lawson State Community College, Iowa Central Community College, Wallace Community College Selma, Concordia College Alabama and Selma University. He’s said he’s also been looked at by Alabama Southern and Jacksonville State.

“I’m thankful that I put the hard work in and people notice me,” Price said. “I never thought people would notice me.”

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Price averaged 18 points and 13 rebounds per game this year for the Panthers in a 14-12 season. While his ability to play above the rim often got the crowd on its feet, his rebounding is what probably led the Panthers the most.

Southside coach Cedric Brown said he’s seen tremendous growth in the senior forward. During his ninth grade year, Price was kicked out of the school before being readmitted his sophomore year.

“He’s gone through some challenges early in his life that I think brought me and him closer together,” Brown said. “Some challenges that I think played a major role in focusing his attention on being a student-athlete.”

Brown said during Price’s tenth grade basketball season, he didn’t start him. Instead, he sent a message by playing him off the bench behind some players that were probably less talented than him.

“Being placed behind those guys was probably more of a motivating factor for him going into his junior year,” Brown said.

Brown escorted Price on his first official visit to Lawson State last month.

On their way back to Selma, Brown got a call from a Lawson coach, offering Price a scholarship.

“Every offer I get, I’m thankful,” Price said.

Not long after, Iowa Central offered him a scholarship. Iowa Central already rosters two players from Dallas County — Jerrod Moorer and Kendell Motley. Price said he knows both players, although only because the Panthers played against Dallas County High School when they were both on the team.

He said Iowa Central is his favorite right now, but he plans to attend a camp for unsigned seniors in Montgomery later this month.

“They are showing like they really want me,” Price said of Iowa Central. “They act like they really need me.”

Price said in the end, the biggest factor in deciding where he will go to school is his ability to get playing time and expand his game so that he can play basketball at a four-year school.

“I want to go where I know that I will get seen, get a lot of exposure and be able to take my basketball to the next level,” Price said. “That’s all I’m trying to do.”