Lloyd Price plays basketball like his pin has been pulled. He's a grenade Xavier lobs into the lane, often detonating spectacularly.

        Sometimes the bomb goes off in the hand. This season, Price's body bears the shrapnel.

        “Sometimes when it rains, it pours,” XU assistant coach Dino Gaudio said. “He's got the injuries. His numbers are down. The pressure on the periphery — friends asking him what's wrong. The negativity.”

        The junior forward — one of Xavier's most heralded recruits ever and a first-team Atlantic 10 preseason pick this season — has in many minds fulfilled the prophecy of The Sporting News, which named him the league's Most Overrated Player in preseason.

        He is tied for fifth on the team in scoring (9.0 ppg.) and fourth in rebounding (4.4), and his shooting numbers (36.5 percent overall, 23.9 percent on 3-pointers) are the worst among XU's eight regular players.

        Yet Price is growing. The cocky kid who talked about transferring and crowed about leaving early for the NBA has been replaced by a man humbled by his hardships.

        “It's been a challenging year — with all my flaws, being hurt, and I've started to mature,” Price said. “But as I look at it now, and what we've done as a team, I wouldn't change this (season) for anything.”

        Price had dominated preseason scrimmages and seemed poised for big things. Then he sprained an ankle in practice two days before the season opener.

        Price owned a reputation as a player with a low threshold for pain, one who used injuries as excuses, but this time was different.

        He slept in the locker room the two nights before the opener to receive treatment in hopes of playing. The injury's severity became apparent when he missed four of the first five games; it still bothers him.

        When Price returned, he was erratic. The ankle and a subsequent pelvic hernia — which will require surgery after the season — have robbed him of his oft-described “explosiveness.” It was apparent last Wednesday, when alone on a breakaway he eschewed a flashy dunk and simply dropped the ball in.

        Most recently, Price has developed soreness in the shoulder he had operated on last spring. Gaudio describes him as “broken from the neck down.”

        “When you rely on quickness and athleticism, and then your physical ability is limited, your effectiveness is limited,” coach Skip Prosser said.

        Price has had to battle his pride.

        “He's pressing a bit, trying to play through the injuries and prove he can contribute,” assistant coach Jeff Battle said.

        Sometimes, it's ugly. Price has always flown headlong toward the basket, but when he fails it looks reckless.

        “He takes a lot of high-risk maneuvers, and it's gotta be killing the coach,” XU radio analyst Byron Larkin said. “But in the past, he's been healthy enough to finish those plays. If he makes those plays, we don't talk about him being out of control.”

        Yet Price hasn't pouted this season. He doesn't blame his injuries, and he has been a vocal cheerleader.

        “Although I did say those things (about transferring or going pro) before, I want to win also,” Price said. “What ever it takes to win, I want to do.”

        Several Musketeers said XU's shaky 5-2 start happened because of Price's absence. Junior forward Kevin Frey described a “comfort level” when Price returned.

        “It's ironic a player that takes such risks and can be erratic can be a stabilizing force on the team,” Larkin said. “But he is.”

        Prosser speaks of the long-term benefits of Price's ability to handle adversity. But he also needs a payoff.

        “I've gotta take forth a positive effort,” Price said. “We've still got games to play. Our destiny is in our hands.”

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