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Short notice Memphis coach resigns one week before season opener
Posted: Monday November 15, 1999 12:27 PM
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- The University of Memphis announced the resignation of head men's basketball coach Tic Price Sunday night. No reason was given for Price's resignation. Athletic Director R.C. Johnson named associate head coach Johnny Jones as interim coach for the 1999-2000 season. A national search to fill the position on a permanent basis will begin immediately, according to a statement from the school's athletic department. "All terms of his resignation are confidential," Johnson said. 'It may come out eventually [what happened], but it won't come from me." Price, 43, won two Sun Belt Conference championships at New Orleans before taking over for Larry Finch at Memphis. The Tigers were 17-12 in his first season, losing to Fresno State in the second round of the NIT.
Last year, the Tigers posted a 13-15 record. The news came as a shock to members of the Memphis team, who are scheduled to leave Memphis on Friday for the Maui Invitational. They meet Georgetown in Hawaii on Nov. 22. "This means we've got to get ready and start over. We've got to regroup," said Memphis player Marcus Moody after a team meeting with Jones Sunday night. He said Price also met with the team Sunday night but was not specific about his resignation."He said it was about his health, and it was wearing on him physically and emotionally," Moody said. Price became Memphis' 14th head basketball coach on March 27, 1997, when he replaced former Tiger star Larry Finch. Finch's contract was bought out following falling attendance and fan criticism over recruiting disappointments in Memphis area high schools. He came to Memphis after leading New Orleans to a 63-27 record and a pair of Sun Belt Conference championships. Jones, 37, is in his third year at Memphis after serving as associate head coach at LSU from 1994-97. Jones, known for his recruiting skills, played on the 1980-81 LSU team that won the Southeastern Conference championship and advanced to the Final Four. While a player at LSU, Jones scored 536 career points, handed out 271 assists and made 136 steals in 121 games.
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