Bishop Canevin standout Price commits to UMass Lowell

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Just prior to taking a visit to Massachusetts Lowell a few weeks ago, Shamyjha Price had a feeling she would fall in love with the school. Price was right. One of the WPIAL’s top girls basketball players now knows where she will play in college.

Price, a 5-foot-9 senior guard forward at Bishop Canevin, committed to UMass Lowell, which is located about 30 miles north of Boston. The River Hawks compete in the Division I America East Conference with the likes of Maine, Albany and Stony Brook.

UMass Lowell was the first Division I school to offer Price, doing so toward the end of July. She said River Hawks coaches began watching her regularly while playing in AAU tournaments with the Western Pa. Bruins. Less than two months later, she visited the school and committed.

“I like the coaches and the players. I like the surroundings. There are a lot of neat places to go,” said Price, who plans to major in nursing. “The head coach [Tom Garrick] told me he really wanted me. They watched me every game toward the end of summer.”

A North Side resident, Price averaged 14.6 points per game last season while helping Bishop Canevin win a third consecutive WPIAL championship. The Crusaders reached the PIAA Class 3A championship game and are 70-16 during Price’s career. Price comes from outstanding bloodlines. Her father, Kevin, is a storied WPIAL athlete. He was a two-sport star at old Duquesne High School. Price is the WPIAL’s second all-time leading scorer and was a star quarterback on a Duquesne team that won WPIAL and PIAA titles in 1993.

He went on to play basketball at Duquesne University. In addition, Frank Boyd, Shamyjha’s grandfather on her mom’s side, played basketball at Pitt.

Fenton headed to Lehigh

Latrobe basketball player Reed Fenton committed to Lehigh last Friday. Fenton, a 6-3 senior guard, chose Lehigh over more than a dozen other offers.