Price signs with Quincy University

An East Carter Lady Redbirds standout has selected her next destination to continue her basketball career.

After collecting her 1,000th point on Tuesday, senior Dylan Price carried that happy moment over to Wednesday as she signed her National Letter of Intent with Quincy University to play with the Hawks women’s basketball team.

“It’s nice to have my family and friends behind because I know they support me to the fullest,” Price said. “I know everyone is happy for me that I made this accomplishment of playing at the next level. They know I love this game, so having everyone here for me is nice.”

As she prepared to enter her senior year, Price’s main focus during the summer was to find a home before the season was over. After suffering an injury while playing with her travel basketball team in front of the coaches of Quincy, Price said the staff established a strong relationship, and from there, she was sold on becoming a future Hawk.

“Even after I got injured, they still contacted me the next day, ensuring that they wanted to stick with me through this injury, no matter what,” Price said. “I thought that was super important because it showed they wanted me. I went up there for a visit, and I felt at home. It felt like I would have a family with me if I went to school there, so I really liked it. The coaches are awesome, and I’m just excited about having a home for next year.”

In today’s recruiting world, finding a school can be stressful to any high school athlete, but luckily for Price, she landed in the perfect situation of finding a spot before wrapping up her high school career. She said signing with Quincy took all the weight off her shoulders, allowing her to focus strictly on the Lady Redbirds for her final high school season.

Though Price still has a long season before she touches the court for the Hawks, she said one of her goals is to put on more muscle as she gears up to take on the top-tier competition at the college level.

“I’ve watched many college games, and I’m aware that I will be playing against full-grown women,” Price said. “I want to get stronger and be ready for anything. I want to sharpen my ball-handling skills because I know there’d be a lot more pressure when I get up to handle the ball in college versus high school.”

Despite only having Price on her roster for one season, East Carter’s head coach, Angela Rodgers, said Price has been a significant asset to the entire team with her leadership on and off the court.

Senior Dylan Priced scores her 1,000th point for the East Carter Lady Redbirds on Tuesday against Twin Rivers.DAR/D'Courtland Christian

“It’s definitely been an honor to coach her this year,” Rodgers said. “She’s not only helped our team, but she’s just a great teammate. She shares the ball well and brought a lot to our team this year, so I’m just really proud of her. It’s exciting to follow her as she goes on to another chapter in a few months, but I’m enjoying this moment with her now.”

The Lady Redbirds are 15-2 on the season, and Price said the team has been in a solid flow lately and hopes it can continue throughout the season.

“I feel like we’ve come together a lot this season,” Price said. “We’ve played really well when taking on tougher teams, which says a lot about us. We do well in practice preparing for our games and are really good together on the floor. We have a few tough games ahead, but we’ll be ready to go.”