Unfair Price Comparison? It's OK With OU's Brent Price

NORMAN Brent Price had heard the question so many times that he almost began answering before it was asked.

"It's always the No. 1 question," said the Oklahoma basketball Sooners' amiable and articulate guard from Enid via South Carolina.

The question: "As a basketball player, how do you compare to older brother Mark, the Cleveland Cavaliers all-star point guard?"

"Obviously, there are a lot of similarities in my game," Brent said, "because I grew up watching Mark play. I think coming out of high school that he was more of a pure shooter, and I was more of a penetrator. Both of us now pretty much have the overall game."

Both are part of one of the nation's best basketball families. Their father, Denny, a former star player and assistant coach at OU, is the head basketball coach at Phillips. One of his assistants is middle son Matt, 24, who played at Appalachian State and Phillips.

Brent, at 6-1, is 1 1/2 inches taller than his oldest brother. But Mark, who at 26 is five years older, is obviously more advanced. An All-American at Georgia Tech, he was the NBA leader in 3-point field goals last season, while leading the Cavs in scoring (19.6) and assists (9.1).

"I've learned a lot from him," said Brent, a junior at OU. "I've patented a lot of my moves and other things after him. I've watched him a lot and picked up a lot from the way he plays."

He's picked up a few aches and pains, too.

"We don't play a whole lot of one-on-one because when we do we always end up fighting," Brent said with a chuckle.

"But the last couple of summers we've played five-on-five, and Mark and I are always guarding each other. It's really good for me to go against him, and I think I surprised him quite a bit last summer. He owns a basketball camp in Atlanta, and every night we'd go head-to-head. The matchup seems to be getting closer and closer.

"There's some dog-fighting. The way we were brought up, our dad never took it easy on us in basketball. When you're on the court you don't have any friends or any family, either. A lot of times it gets really rough, but we always leave it on the court, of course."

The youngest Price left South Carolina in 1989, after averaging 14.4 points and making 48.9 percent of his 3-pointers as a sophomore.

Unhappy with South Carolina's methodical offense, Price transferred to OU. NCAA regulations forced him to sit out the season.

"Sitting out," Price said, "is the best thing that I could have ever done, because it helped me learn the Oklahoma system."

Price's absence may have cost the Sooners, however. After being ranked No. 1 in the final Associated Press poll, the Sooners were beaten in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Many figure OU have gone further with Price.

"I think that's probably right," said OU coach Billy Tubbs, talking right in to the Price-is-right phrase which has not been used here. "I think that would have been a distinct possibility."

Price said, "In every game last year I kind of put myself in there, wondering what I could have done to help the team. When you have time on your hands that's the sort of thing you do during the season.

"I feel like I could have really helped last year, but who knows?

That's a tough question. Who knows what one added person could have done. I think I could have helped them, especially down the stretch.

But that's all ifs."

The ifs are over. Price will be an immediate Sooner starter.

"He adds a lot of dimensions," Tubbs said. "He plays hard and tough, he's a good guy coming up with loose balls, he adds a penetrator who can pass, and he's a good shooter, too. I think he'll give us some leadership on the floor, too."

Unfortunately, some people may expect too much from Price much like some OU football fans have expected too much from freshman quarterback Cale Gundy this year.

Price isn't worried.

"My goal," he said, "is to just be the best that Brent Price can be and to try to do as much as I can for Oklahoma's basketball team.

"I can't go out every game and think, "I've got to do this for the people.' I mean, I'm doing it for the people, but if you go out and say, "Well, they're counting on me and I have to do this and do that,' that's when you get yourself in trouble."

The Brent-and-Mark comparisons will continue, but the younger brother is used to that.

"Deep down inside," Brent said, "everyone wants to be recognized for their own abilities. I'm a real part of Mark, and I always have been. I'm his No. 1 fan, and I always will be. And it's all right for people to look at me as Mark's little brother.

"But when they do I'd like them to say, "Well, Brent, he can play, too.' People are watching me because I am Mark's brother, and they're wondering if I can do the things he can do.

"Well, I'm not out to prove that I can do the things Mark can do, but hopefully when they're watching I'll show them that I can play."

He will. You can Mark it down. BIOG: NAME:

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