Jeff Price begins his first season as a volunteer coach with the University of Southern Indiana Men's Basketball program in 2026-27.
Price comes to the Screaming Eagles from Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas, where he was an assistant coach on the men’s basketball team for the previous two seasons. He brings more than 30 years of collegiate coaching experience and athletic administration to USI.
Prior to Hendrix College, Price was an Associate Head Coach at the University of Central Arkansas from 2021-24.
A native of Lewisburg, Ohio, Price spent 21 years at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio, where he served as Head Men’s Basketball Coach and Athletic Director.
After spending his first three seasons as Assistant Coach, he was elevated to Head Coach in 2003 followed by Athletic Director in 2013.
Before returning home to the Miami Valley, Price coached one year at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, and eight years at Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, West Virginia.
As Head Coach of the Sinclair Tartan Pride for 18 years, his teams won two OCCAC regular season championships and was consistently ranked in the top 20, reaching as high as No. 2 in the nation in three different weeks.
His 307 career victories at Sinclair earned him the distinction as the all-time winningest men’s basketball coach at Sinclair. It also placed him 4th all-time among the three college teams in Dayton behind three legendary Hall of Fame Coaches: Don Donoher, University of Dayton (437), Ralph Underhill, Wright State University (356) and Tom Blackburn, University of Dayton (352).
During his 18 years behind the Sinclair bench, his program produced five NJCAA All-Americans, three NJCAA Academic All-Americans, 35 All-Conference selections, three Conference Player of the Year honors, three National Player of the Week selections, two players that lead the nation in scoring and over 85 players signing National Letters of Intent to play at the four-year level.
His program produced 12 individuals that played professionally and one Harlem Globetrotter (Jumpin Joe Ballard). Sinclair alum and West Virginia All-Big 12 guard Sean McNeil is expected to join the growing list of former Sinclair MBB players to play professionally after his final season with the Mountaineers.
Price finished his Sinclair career holding several career and single season coaching records. Career records included most career wins (307), most home wins (177), most road wins (127) and most season opening game wins (13). Single season longest winning streak (21 games), highest winning percentage .903% (28-3) and most home wins single season (16).
His teams were regularly ranked in the top 20 for points per game and free throw percentage. They scored 100+ points in 83 out of the 510 games played. Even more impressively, they won 75.8% of their games decided by 2 points or less.
In 2013, he was named the Athletic Director and immediately put the same successful core values (3 C’s) in place. Not long after, the Conference voted him to the position of Assistant Commissioner and Chair for Men’s & Women’s Basketball.
While at the athletic helm, he implemented several programs and positions that included the position of Senior Women’s Administrator, developing an electronic grade reporting system, Student Athlete Advisory Committee, Sinclair Hall of Fame, redefined Student-Athlete safety measures, increased operating budgets, increased graduation and transfer outcomes while seeing a marked increased in All-Academic honors.
In 2018-19, Sinclair won the conference OCCAC All-Sport Award for best athletic department. Price also was named the OCCAC Athletic Director of the Year three times during his tenure (2014-15, 2016-17, 2020-21 and was given the Region 12 “Norma Dycus” Real Sport award two times (2011 & 2021) for sportsmanship.
During his time as Assistant Commissioner, he also served as the Men’s & Women’s Basketball Chair, Ethics Committee Chair, OCCAC Hall of Fame Committee, NJCAA Committee for Equality, Diversity & Inclusion and NJCAA Region 12 Executive Committee.
Before being promoted to Athletic Director, Price also worked full-time for over 10 years as the Corporate Manager for Dayton’s largest privately owned family practice – Schear Family Practice. He also served as the Board of Trustee Chair for the Brown Memorial Library as well as a Precinct Election Official for his district in Preble County.
Most individuals also know Coach Price as something much different. Since the late 80’s, he has been a Walt Disney World Cast Member in many roles; Accounting, Merchandise, Marketing and for the last 25 years, he has had the role of Entertainment Character Performer.
His career started at a small NCAA Division II college in the mountains of West Virginia, Davis & Elkins College. After his first season as Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach, he was appointed Head Coach for Men’s Golf. During his seven years leading the Senator’s golf program, the program went from the bottom of the WVIAC to an NCAA II top 25 program. It also earned him a spot on his first national committee, NCAA Advisory Committee (Championship Selections).
During his last two seasons with the Senators, Price accepted the position as Head Women’s Basketball Coach. A short tenure that proved very fruitful for D&E as he recruited the foundation that would lead them to the top of the WVIAC.
Price graduated from Marshall University and is married to Dr. Cynthia Price (Carr). They have two sons and four grandchildren.
