Kevin Frey and Lloyd Price both have added 20 pounds since coming to Xavier, yet they say they're still starving.

        This has nothing to do with food and everything to do with the NCAA Tournament, where they have never dined.

Kevin Frey, here at Midnight Madness, is key for Xavier this year. (Jeff Swinger photo) | ZOOM |

        “We definitely have a hunger,” Frey said. “We didn't come to Xavier to play in the NIT.”

        Said Price: “This season has to be special.”

        On a team with one defined leader, senior point guard Maurice McAfee, Frey and Price are XU's X-factors. Putting past inconsistencies behind them could be the key to this season.

        “Those two guys have to play like men this year,” coach Skip Prosser said. “They've been at times very, very good, and at times not so. It's very crucial for our success they be consistently good players this year.”

        Both in their third season as starters, they acknowledge the spotlight that's on them.

        “Coach expects a lot of us, , because we're more mature,” Price said. “But we have to expect a lot of ourselves without Coach having to expect it from us.”

        They've created their own expectations. Frey scored 29 and Price 28 in different games last year, the two highest individual efforts of the season. But each also vanished occasionally.

        Price, a small forward, was second-team all-Atlantic 10 last year and was second on the XU team in scoring (13.0 avg.) and rebounds (6.0). But his shooting percentage went down, from .469 as a freshman to .446 last year. He was held to single-digit scoring nine times, including being shut out at George Washington.

        “I really don't have no excuses,” he said. “It was a mixture of not paying attention and not going as hard as I should have at times.

        “I think I can hold myself back. If I don't go hard in drills in practice, that can convert over to the game. That was a big part of the inconsistency.”

        Frey, a power forward, struggled as his role changed last year. He was shuffled in and out of the starting lineup, totaling 16 starts, and averaged 8.8 points and 5.1 rebounds. He was held to six or fewer points 14 times, yet scored 20 or more points three times.

        XU was 9-2 when Frey scored in double figures, 12-10 when he didn't.

        Both players had health issues last season. Frey had an achy ankle, from which he had a bone spur and bone chips removed in the offseason. Price had torn cartilage around his shoulder joint and dislocated a finger that broke through the skin. He had offseason surgery on the shoulder.

        “My ankle was always sore (last year),” Frey said. “Some games the adrenaline would get going and I'd forget about the aches and pains. I'm learning how to bring that to every game.”

        The first thing to change was their appearance. The 6-foot-8 Frey is up to 240 pounds, and the 6-5 Price now weighs 220. Their offseason weight work is evident.

        “Kevin has done a particularly good job in the weight room, and Lloyd has gotten stronger,” Prosser said. “And it's been only three or four days (of practice), but they've shown a willingness in those three or four days to accept their new responsibility. They've practiced hard and well.”

        Shooting will be key. Frey's 3-point shooting can be invaluable for his position, but he shot just .265 (13-for-49) from that range last year. Price, at .333 (31-for-93) on 3-pointers, also stands to improve.

        Neither is quoting target numbers. The first goal is confidence, which hopefully breeds consistency.

        “I want to be able to live up to what the guys are expecting of me, and that's to come through in a time of need,” Price said. “However that may be.”
       

Xavier Stories

XU's Price, Frey must 'play like men'

Oester interviews for manager's job
Hunter undergoes knee surgery
Tagliabue voices support of Brown
Bad doesn't add up to 0-16
Van Exel better player, no better at losing
SULLIVAN: The Yankees
TV/Radio
'Clones fall 4-3 in shootout OT
High schools
N. Kentucky high school results
Ohio high school results

• Return to Xavier front page...