Meet Blacksburg basketball player Riley Price
BLACKSBURG, Va. — Riley Price is an up-and-coming athlete out of Blacksburg, Virginia. Currently, she plays for Blacksburg High School and for Team Curry, an elite travel basketball team out of Charlotte, North Carolina. Her position is power forward and center. She has one unofficial offer from Randolph College and is receiving interest from multiple other Division 1 colleges and universities. Price has been playing basketball since elementary school. It has always been something she鈥檚 loved and has devoted much of her time to. From morning lifts to working out after school, she is constantly at the gym putting in work.
But Price鈥檚 story isn鈥檛 a simple one. During her freshman year, she suffered an injury that would put her on the sideline for the rest of the 2021-2022 season. She was a freshman on the varsity volleyball team and injured her hip during practice. As days went on, she realized this injury was more than a strain. After multiple doctor鈥檚 appointments and physical therapy, she was told she tore her labrum in her hip. Price would need surgery in order to recover from this injury. For the rest of volleyball season and the entirety of basketball season, she would wait for surgery, using crutches to get around. The surgery took place on February 17, 2022. From that point, it was a battle, both mentally and physically.
Her living room had become her bedroom; she couldn鈥檛 walk up the stairs post-operation. There was no sitting or bending at the waist, making everyday actions extremely complicated. Price talked about the constant pain that came with the surgery. But the worst part, she said, was missing out on one of the things she loved most: basketball. Watching practice and games, knowing she couldn鈥檛 do anything more than cheer on her teammates, was frustrating to say the least. As a result of this injury and following surgery, it would take at least six months before she could resume physical activity.
Once she was able to sit in an upright position, it was an uphill battle. She went to physical therapy multiple times a week in order to begin walking in short increments. Later would come running and jumping. It would take even longer for her to be able to fully participate in practices and scrimmages; physical contact was one of the most daunting parts of recovery. If she reinjured her hip before it was fully healed, it would be a major setback. So, Price was patient. She did as much as she could as soon as her doctor gave her the go ahead. A year after the injury, she returned to the court.
Her first season back on the court, Blacksburg High School had a 12-11 record, with Price recording multiple double-doubles throughout the season. This was just the beginning. During travel season, with Team Curry, Price continued to average double-doubles, showing college coaches across the east coast that her surgery wasn鈥檛 a setback. It was a chance for her to come back stronger than ever. Her hard work was clear to see for everyone during every game she played in.
Price is in her junior year at Blacksburg High School. The season opener was on November 27th against Radford High School at home. The Lady Bruins are off to a great start, putting up impressive numbers against teams in the River Ridge District. Make sure to watch Riley and Bruin Women’s Basketball this winter.
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