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| FEATURES | ||||
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| Chasing the Gold Following the footsteps of Wolverine track star and World Cup champion Noelle Pikus-Pace ’05 are several UVSC track athletes anticipating their own Olympic encounters. Read how Pikus-Pace and her teammates are preparing for upcoming Olympic games. |
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| Then Came Ronnie Many Utah sports fans kept a close eye on the NBA draft in June for more than one reason - there were two permeating questions about two talented college players. First, “Would Bogut go number one?” And second, “What about that kid at Utah Valley?” The first answer is, “Yes. He did.” And the second - now that’s a good story. |
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| In the Ogre's House Selected from a group of 2,000 college students competing to fill a summer internship at DreamWorks, UVSC business student Daniel Nyles Alder is making his dreams come true working for the Oscarwinning movie studio. |
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| DEPARTMENTS | ||||
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| Then Came Ronnie
by Melynda Thorpe Burt ’90, editor On August 2, the first day NBA teams could sign free agents, the Sacramento Kings signed Ronnie Price to a two-year, guaranteed contract. Prior to his signing, Price played the Portsmouth Invitational (an NBA pre-draft camp for the top 64 seniors in the nation) and was invited to work out with the Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons. Price last visited with Sequel Magazine on August 11. Measuring in at just over six feet, Ronnie Price didn’t come to UVSC as star of the team. In fact, amid the transition between men’s basketball coaches and with shamefully small crowds at the McKay Events Center, Price’s arrival went virtually unnoticed. According to Coach Dick Hunsaker, “Ronnie was our third best player that year.” Nevertheless, from Friendswood, Texas, Price embraced UVSC with open arms in 2002 after a walk-on year at Louisiana’s Nicholls State University. He was a young kid with a young game, and he was looking for a coach and an opportunity to play. At a junior college exposure camp (UVSC was still a member of the NJCAA), the College’s new head coach, Dick Hunsaker, came across Price and recognized his potential.
“In all my coaching, I’ve never had an experience with an individual player as I have with Ronnie,” Hunsaker said. As the two learned to work together, Price showed himself to be a player with unparalleled trust and absolute commitment. “He held onto my every word,” Hunsaker said. Price and Hunsaker plunged headlong into basketball at UVSC and together they aided the College’s transition from junior college play to Division I of the NCAA. And as the level of competition increased, so did Price’s intensity and approach to his game. By the time Price’s senior season rolled around, Hunsaker claims, “That’s when I knew we were really onto something.” With his game soaring, so did his statistics and national ranking. Soon, he was ranked third in the nation in scoring, and along with the question, “Who is that guy?” came the subsequent question, “Where is Utah Valley State College?” That’s when something remarkable happened. Billboards went up, media took notice and crowd numbers escalated. At Price’s final home game came the culmination of many things. Played against University of Northern Colorado, 3,500 cheering fans packed into the McKay Events Center. Among them were students with faces painted green and young kids waiving handmade signs that read, “Go Ronnie!” There were students, faculty and alumni along with NBA scouts and members of the press and community whose curiosity had motivated them, finally, to come and see what this player was all about. The night was Ronnie’s, and with him came all the heart and ability of a true professional. Price hit his season high of 36 points with 27 in the second half. After sinking a 3-point shot with 39 seconds remaining, Price signaled to Coach Hunsaker for permission to acknowledge the roaring crowd. First he knelt and kissed center court, then waved to the standing ovation with his unforgettable smile, and in tears, wrapped his arms around Coach. Many say Price developed his game at UVSC. But it can also be argued that Price’s surroundings are what developed most in his three years at Utah Valley. With his game, he brought character, dreams and leadership, and with his kind and quiet example, he taught us all to become what we really all want to be – better.
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Prior to joining the UVSC Athletic Department in April 2002, Hunsaker had served as acting head coach at the University of Utah and led Ball State to the Sweet 16. For the 2000-2001 season, he was named Los Angeles Times National Coach of the Year as well as Mountain West Coach of the Year. Still, with 30 years of coaching under his belt, he had yet to send a player to the NBA.