‘He wanted to change the world’: Family, friends mourn basketball coach, youth mentor Kendric Price after shooting death

Dorchester native Kendric Price made his way out of the city after receiving a basketball scholarship to the University of Michigan, graduating with his bachelor’s degree.He didn’t have to return home, but that’s what he did.“That’s the most important thing that I’ll remember about Kendric,” Bill Willis, a Boston police officer and mentor to Price while he was in high school, told WCVB, “that he had the opportunity to leave but he came back.”Price, 32, was shot to death early Saturday morning near 12 Greenwood St., according to Boston police. Police were called at 2:58 a.m., and Price was declared dead at the scene. The case is being treated as a homicide.Price died on the same street he grew up on, according to The Boston Globe, just down the street from where his mother lives. “He was just a humble giant that wanted to love and help everybody,” Carol Price said of her son during an interview with WBZ. “Kendric was a visionary and he just wanted to do things, he wanted to change the world, and he tried.” In that interview, Carol Price recalled evenings when she would have to go collect her son from a nearby basketball court. His friends would try to hide him because the basketball would leave when Price did.“It’s very heartbreaking to think about Kendric being not with us,” she said, her voice cracking with grief. “Kendric didn’t deserve that.”

On her front porch, Carol Price, center, is comforted (following the death of her son Kendric) by Kim and Ronald Odom, whose son Steven Odam was killed at age 13.

Price attended school in Dorchester and Mattapan; he then went to Melrose High School through the Metco program for a time before he was spotted by Lewis Bryant, Buckingham Browne & Nichols basketball coach, according to the Globe.

“With a heavy heart we share Kendric Price former standout basketball player, more importantly all star student & tremendous human being was shot & killed last night,” Melrose Athletics said on Twitter. 

With a heavy heart we share Kendric Price former standout basketball player, more importantly all star student & tremendous human being was shot & killed last night. After he left us Kendric continued his schooling & playing @BB&N then Michigan! Pray for his family.#MelrosePS

— Melrose Athletics (@MHSathletix) March 3, 2019

It was basketball that landed him at University of Michigan, but Price took full advantage of his experience there beyond the court. Price was on the Division 1 Michigan team for the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 seasons, The Detroit News reported. 

Price decided to leave the team in October 2007, but he stayed in school at Michigan through the 2007-2008 school year, according to the university’s athletics website.

“After much thought throughout the fall and over the last few weeks, I feel that I need to step away,” Price said at the time. “I am thankful for the opportunity that was given to me here at Michigan, but I am going to take some time to concentrate on my academic career and decide if I want to further pursue my playing career.”

University of Michigan basketball players, from left, Zack Gibson, Kendric Price, and Jevohn Shepherd laugh while looking at the media guide during media day in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Oct. 11, 2006.

Former teammate C.J. Lee reflected on Price on Twitter.

“When I think about my former teammate, I remember how much energy, laughter, and warmth Kendric brought to any room he entered,” he said. “Anyone that knew him would tell you that Kendric is truly unforgettable.”

https://twitter.com/CJ_Lee2/status/1102055064124895233

Price graduated from Michigan in 2008, WCVB reported, after just three years. He went on to play with the Vermont Frostheaves, an American Basketball Association team, and then the Iowa Energy, an NBA D-League team affiliated with the Chicago Bulls and the Phoenix Suns, according to the Globe.

After that, he joined the Harlem Wizards, the Globe reported. The team is described as “a show basketball entity delivering wildly successful fundraiser events for schools and nonprofits,” on its website.

Price was still involved in basketball up until his death. He served as an assistant coach for the UMass Boston men’s basketball team.

“Kendric was a great young coach who worked with our men’s basketball program,” the university said in a statement obtained by WCVB. “We are all saddened by the tragic news of his passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with Kendric’s family.”

Price also served as an assistant coach for Roxbury Community College and was involved with several youth teams, the Globe reported.

Outside of basketball, Price created a program to help teach city youth about finance by using basketball. He did so in honor of Steven Odom, a childhood friend shot and killed at age 13, according to the Globe.

‘‘I’m not saying I can change the world,’’ Price said in a story for the Globe back in 2012, ‘‘but I’m planning to make a difference one child at a time.’’

He then founded Big Business Network Inc., which further drew on that earlier program’s mission.

“If a good kid is given the choice of two options, one good and the other bad, I believe the child will choose the good option,” he said in a statement on the organization’s website. “Many of the children who grow up and live in underprivileged areas do not have the luxury of one of their options being a good one. They are usually faced with a similar scenario except both options are not so good.”

Most recently, Price had taken a job with Cristo Rey High School, a job he had started within the last week, according to the Globe. He was working as an account manager in the school’s corporate work study program. 

“Although Kendric had only recently joined the staff of Cristo Rey Boston High School, his presence had already made a profound impact on our scholars,” school President Kevin J. Kraska said in a statement. “His smile, obvious joy in working with our students, and personal story of success resonated deeply with our scholars.”

Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins agreed with Price’s mother that he was a “visionary,” noting that he “worked tirelessly with local youth.”

“Kendric wanted to make a difference, one child at a time,” she said on Twitter. “Let’s follow his lead and honor his legacy.”

https://twitter.com/DARollins/status/1102569762020884480