I’ve mentioned this several times over the past two weeks. Just wanted to pass along the statement from Lynn now that Jeff Price has officially been named as the head coach.

Looking to return the men’s basketball program to its glory days, Lynn University Director of Athletics Dr. Kristen Migliano turned to a familiar face with the announcement of Jeff Price as the next head men’s basketball coach

Price started the Lynn men’s basketball program in 1993, coaching for six seasons before moving on to Division I Georgia Southern. During his time patrolling the sidelines for the Blue & White, he accumulated a 134-44 (.753) overall record and 20-8 (.714) mark in Sunshine State Conference play. An accomplished collegiate head coach, Price has a 293-186 overall record in 17 seasons, which includes seven 20-win campaigns, eight trips to the postseason and two coach-of-the-year honors.

“We are excited to welcome Coach Price and his family back to Lynn University as his return to the de Hoernle Sports & Cultural Center is a homecoming,” said Migliano, a former student-athlete on the inaugural women’s basketball team in 1993. “Jeff was the pioneer of Lynn basketball, and now he is committed to the program regaining conference and regional competitiveness.”

After accepting an offer to start the Lynn program from scratch in March 1993, Price successfully built one of the top collegiate programs in the nation. He averaged nearly 23 wins per season while at the helm of the Lynn program, guiding his teams to 23-7 (1993-94), 20-10 (1994-95), 16-11 (1995-96), 28-3 (1996-97), 22-7 (1997-98) and 25-6 (1998-99) records. Five of his seven career 20-win seasons came at LU, his .753 winning percentage was the highest in the state of Florida over that span and he reached the postseason in all six seasons.

“My family and I are absolutely thrilled to be part of Lynn University again,” Price said. “I will be surrounded by great leadership, starting with President Ross to Senior Vice President Greg Malfitano and Dr. Kristen Migliano, who have a tremendous desire to be successful, which is an outstanding combination.”

During the 1996-97 season, Lynn put together a 20-game winning streak, the longest in the nation, led the team to its first NCAA Division II National Semifinals appearance and had the best overall record in Division II. Additionally, Price was named the NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year as Lynn became the first school in NCAA history to reach the national semifinals in the first season of NCAA competition.

“I want to do everything I can to repeat the success Lynn had in the mid-90s,” added Price. “We had a great ride and it was a lot of fun. That is my goal again, to create a winning environment that is exciting for the fans to watch but equally successful .”

Price spent the past two years at the University of South Alabama where he served as the interim head coach since December following the retirement of his mentor Ronnie Arrow. He was named the associate head coach in August of 2011. During his two-year stint in Mobile, Ala., the Jaguars went 34-25.

Prior to joining USA, Price spent the 2010-11 season as head coach at West Virginia Wesleyan where he led the Bobcats to a 19-11 record and a trip to the NCAA Division II National Tournament. It was just the second tournament appearance for West Virginia and marked the second-largest turnaround in the nation as the Bobcats had gone 8-21 the previous season and were 38-105 the previous five.

Price was head coach at Georgia Southern for 10 seasons, where he totaled 138 wins, third-most in school history. He won 20 or more twice in his final six seasons at the helm and guided the program to the 2006 National Invitation Tournament.

The Eagles were in the midst of six straight non-winning seasons and a combined 29-61 (.322) record in league play before his arrival. It took one year to transform Georgia Southern into a winning team as Price and the Eagles went 16-12 overall and 10-6 in the Southern Conference in 1999-2000. The second-place division finish was enough to earn Price the Southern Conference Coach of the Year Award.

“Jeff has successfully coached and mentored student-athletes at all collegiate levels,” added Migliano. “He is a motivator, a true teacher of the game and a tireless recruiter. We are excited for the prospect of Coach Price attracting talented student-athletes to Lynn from throughout Florida “

The Fighting Knights return nine letterwinners from last season’s team which finished 11-16 overall and 3-13 in the Sunshine State Conference.

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