After an outstanding performance at this weekends Nike Memorial Day Classic, A.J. Price, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound point guard from Amityville High School in Amityville, New York established himself as one of the best point guards in the class of 2004. His play during Sunday’s semifinal game against the Illinois Warriors was not enough to lift Riverside Church to the finals.

A.J. Price averaged close to 21.0 points a game during the Nike Classic and scored those points in a variety of ways.

Standing a mere 6-foot-1, Price is not an intimidating individual, but when he is on the court, he plays as if he is 6-foot-3 or taller. That is the exact attitude he takes with him when he is on the court.

Price scored a majority of his points from behind the three-point line during the Nike Classic. It didn’t matter if he was bringing the ball up the court or fighting his way through the defense, he found a way to get his shot off.

There were times when his shot wasn’t falling in the first half of a game, but he found his rhythm in the second half and got a groove going. Price might score two or three points in the first half, but explode for 21 or 22 points in the second half.

While his outside shot is a big part of his game, Price can definitely mix things up on the offensive end of the court. He has a quick first step, which allows him to penetrate the basket with authority.

When Price puts the ball on the floor and drives to the basket, he doesn’t pull up for a jumper at the last minute and he doesn’t try to ‘kiss’ the basketball off the glass. He has every intention of getting to the rim and making a scoring opportunity happen.

Early on in the tournament, many teams didn’t expect Price to attack and penetrate the basket the way he did, so he didn’t see a lot of contact. By the time the tournament had ended on Sunday, Price had taken a real beating, but refused to back down from any challenge.

Riverside Church looked like they were going to run the Illinois Warriors out of the gym in the first half. The Warriors just weren’t hitting their shots and Church took full advantage of that.

During that stretch run, Price took the ball to the basket and got hit hard by a Warrior defender. He was on the ground, lying on his back, for several minutes before he got back to his feet and calmly hit two free throws. Price doesn’t know the meaning of the word quit.

Price is equally impressive on the defensive end of the court. His quick hands and awareness of where the ball is allowed him to come up with several key steals throughout the Memorial Day Classic.

If Price happened to be guarding the man bringing the ball up the court, his eyes were focused on the basketball and nothing else. His level of concentrate and attention to detail also plays a big part in his success on defense.

RivalsHoops.com spent a few minutes with Price and talked with him about his recruitment.

“You know, my recruitment is pretty much the same right now,” he said. “A couple of teams have been dropped from my list. NC State is no longer being considered because they received a commitment last week from another player.

“I’ll probably start taking some visits when school starts next fall,” he added.