Jalen Price ‘extremely excited’ to lead Karns City boys basketball in first head coaching gig
When Jalen Price patrols the Karns City sidelines beginning in November, he’ll be one of the youngest head coaches in Western Pennsylvania.
The 2019 Armstrong High School graduate was named the Gremlins’ next boys basketball coach Monday during Karns City’s school board meeting, taking over for Zach Kepple, who led the program since 2021.
What Price lacks in years he aims to make up for with work ethic.
“It’s been a ton of time, effort and dedication,” he said Thursday. “I knew I wanted to become a head basketball coach (early on).
“All of my coaches I’ve had in the past as a player have always credited me … for being a coach on the court.”
Price played quarterback and was a four-year member of the varsity basketball team at Armstrong. He said he became the seventh WPIAL player to throw and rush for 1,000 yards each in the same season.
After graduating, he went straight into coaching. He was hired to lead Armstrong’s junior high program in 2020 and assisted the varsity coaching staff at times.
He also started coaching AAU in the winter with Caveman Basketball.
He’s eager to take over the program and has already met with his players a few times since being hired. He said he’d heard about Karns City’s “tight-knit” community and how it “(rallies) around their sports teams” for a while, before applying for the job, and feels it’s a similar vibe to Armstrong.
“I knew I had to give myself an opportunity to work with those kids,” he said.
“I just want the Karns City community to know I’m extremely excited to get going with these kids. … We absolutely appreciate all the support they do for us.”
Price is the third boys basketball coaching hire this cycle in Butler County. Joe Lafko replaced Alan Bauman at Knoch in May, and Jake Jewart was named Moniteau’s next coach, replacing his father, last week.
Price takes over a program that had several underclassmen — Cole Johnston, also a football talent, and Owen Kauffman are among them — last season. But the Gremlins are losing dominant post presence and 1,000-point scorer Shane Peters to graduation.
“I think the No. 1 goal is to win,” Price said. “I said this to the kids, ultimately the goal is to have fun … and (people) have fun when they’re winning.”
After already studying film of the team, he intends to bring an up-tempo offense to the Gremlins, which will also require sound defense and rebounding to kickstart the offense in transition. Price said he intends to spend the summer and offseason building relationships with the players, identifying kids in school who may want to join the program and teaching the team his terminology. Karns City has a few more weeks left in the Redbank Valley summer league, as well.
“We’re looking really to be a strong defensive team that grinds, gets in the face of (opponents),” he said.
Price said he’s spoken a few times this week with athletic director Chris Bellis, who was also a candidate for the job and not part of the hiring process.
“Chris has already reached out to me and expressed his congratulations and excitement for me taking over the program,” Price said. “We both have the same goals of working our best to better the kids.”
