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Show orts A12 The College Times MONDAY, APRIL 14, 2008 Headed to nationals Coach Gary Brown said his squad has been unsuccessful in securing money Money can't buy happi- for travel and lodging from ness, but it sure-can ".help in ASUVSC. He expects, other \vays.. That' s what the though, to find a way no men's rugby; team is finding matter what. Part of that inout injrying tcvsectire fund- cludes receiving several siging fcSfats (rip to the; USA nificant donations that will Rugby-Division II national go a long way to make sure tournament in- Albuquerque, the Wolverines are comfortN.M. :this ".upcoming .week- able as they piay two matches-in two days. end. Jason Adkins Sports writer One of the reasons the team is having problems receiving additional funds from ASUVSC, Brown said, is that student government doesn't want to pay for travel. Rather, money from the school should be used for. other expenses. Brown added that the lesson he learned is you have See RUGBY'- AW USA Rugby Division II National Tournament Albuquerque, N.M. April 18-20 Utah Valley Game 1 April 19 vs. East Carolina . Utah Valley Game 2 April 20 opponent TBD Ken Hoqtond/'College Times With the rugby team's performance in the regional tournament it earned a spot to play for the national title. me ising Ronnie Price seeing time on the floor after warming the for more years Price's NBA stats 'Games started jlgi0!$£ A; M P G :: i SP%'M±m&^^ 3*7 7\ru ............ U.y PPG „:.......... 3.2 ating turnovers and diving to the deck after loose balls. Assistant sports editor However, the ever-humble shooting \y. Former Utah Valley standout Ronnie guard denies any credit, choosing instead to 'Trice has gone a long way. What once was remind others of the job Brewer has done the McKay Center and New Jersey Tech are this season. "Ronnie Brewer is having a great year," now Energy Solutions Arena and the WorldPrice said. "I'm just trying not to make misChampion San Antonio Spurs. Price has quickly gone from being buried takes and keep things flowing." ' Nevertheless, don't mistake his humble on the Jazz bench to becoming one of their most tenacious defenders and a spark plug demeanor for a lack of confidence. off the bench. Coach Jerry Sloan even re"If you don't have confidence, you might cently called on him to as well pack it up," Price said. "I have conUtah Jazz guard start in place of the in- fidence, more than people might.expect, but Ronnie Price jured Ronnie Brewer, I keep it in." ';, ?. • didn't see much With Brewer.. put Coming from a little-know'n school, Price time while with of the lineup for three has flown under the radarjarid could easily the Sacramento games, Price stepped find himself intimidated by the likes of LeKings but since into the starting roll, Bron James, Kobe Bryant and other NBA coming to Utah and the Jazz didn't superstars. Instead, Price has proven again miss a beat in wins and again that he belongs on the court with he's been able over the Washington the best players in the world. to make a difWizards, Minnesota ference on the "My rookie year was the first for me to Timberwolves and San see all the guys, my second year to actually court. Antonio Spurs. be on the floor with guys," Price said. 'Then "It's good for him to this year, I'm coming after you." get minutes," Jazz point guard Deron WilOn a team that has seen players make liams said. "He's given us a lot of energy a career out of backing up All-Star caliber -- scored the ball well. He's got a great all- point guards. Price may have found his around game." niche. On Utah's NBA finals teams of the In those starts, his first as a member of late '90s, reserve point guard Howard Eisley the Jazz, Price found his range, knocking filled in as more than capable backup for fudown the outside shot, including big three- ture Hall-of-Famer John Stockton. pointers in a lopsided win over the Spurs. He impacted on both sides of thefloor,creSee RONNIE PRICE-AW Matt Beaudin Dove ibd/ College Times Price taking every opportunity, not forgetting his roots Ben Webster sports editor Even Utah Jazz guard Ronnie Price admits he sometimes looks back at his years playing here. He said it is sometimes hard to believe he is where he is at now. Now, he's the backup point guard for the Utah Jazz. "I look back and think 'Wow, I've done a lot," Price said. "I still want more, of course, but I don't control the future, so it's good to look back and remember where I came from." He's gone a long way since leading the Wolverines, and he's making the most of every chance, opportunity and injury since making it to the NBA. Four years ago Price had just finished his senior season here and wondered what his future would hold. Playing for a small school, his 24.3 points per game his senior weren't enough to put him on the national radar as an NBA prospect. He worked out for a number of NBA teams before the 2005 ^gj^^ draft, but his name wasn't called. To him, it didn't matter. He kept working toward his dream. A dream he knew he would accomplish. The Sacramento Kings gave him his first opportunity. While with the Kings, after signing a two-year guaranteed contract out of college, time on the court was tough to come by for the 6-foot-2 guard. He played in just 29'of the 82 games and 5.2 minutes a game in those he played. . ' ! Again, it didn't matter. He kept working in practices, at shorit-arpunds and wherever he could during the summer,,which included ! playing in Utah. • . , •') '. The opportunities came more frequent in his second season with the Kings. He .played in twice as many games, and his minutes increased to over nine a game. He wasn't satisfied. He wanted more Set OPPORTUNmeS' A10 Games played by Price by month this season October: 1 November: 11 February: 12 March: 16 20 |