Its St. Johns to Tenn. State for Two Players

Tennessee State has picked up a couple more top prospects. Bruce Price, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound shooting/combo guard from Minnesota signed with Tennessee State while rising junior Eric King, a 6-foot-6, 222-pound swingman is transferring from St. John's to the Ohio Valley school. Price had originally committed to St. John's following his senior season at Minneapolis South High School but didn't meet all the NCAA's academic rules. He was still on target to attend St. John's until, as reported by Russ Blake, he was dismissed from Bridgton Academy this past November.

After being home-schooled for much of his life, Price qualified late in his senior year at Minneapolis South H.S. in Minnesota. But he still needed to earn the certificate in order to enroll at St. John's.

Price also had taken official visits to Boston College, West Virginia and Oregon State and was seeking to earn a certificate of completion at Bridgton this year. A good defensive player who can play either guard slot, Price averaged 21 points, eight rebounds, six assists and nine steals per game as a senior at South H.S.

King, a native of Brooklyn, New York, averaged 4.7 points and 3.7 rebounds as a sophomore after scoring 7.6 points and 4.5 boards a game as a freshman for the Red Storm.

As a senior high school player at Lincoln High School, King was named the New York Post’s Public School Athletic League Player-of-the-Year. He averaged 21 points, 15 rebounds, and five blocks per game. Following his senior year, King attended Milford (CT) Academy for a year, averaging 22.0 points and eight rebounds.

Tennessee State also got a commitment from big forward Rod Flowers who will be transferring from Cincinnati. The 6-foot-8, 235-pound Flowers, who was suspended from the Cincinnati team on March 6,2003 but reinstated for the final two games of the season, will transfer after he completes his summer session and graduates. He will have one year of eligibility remaining.

Flowers prepped at Butler HS in Hunstville, AL where he was named Alabama Class 6A Player of the Year following his senior season after averaging 22.1 points, 14.2 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks a game. His father, Robert, played football at Alabama A&M.