Denny Price

Phoenix Suns Assistant Coach | College Head Coach | Oklahoma Basketball Figure

William Dennis “Denny” Price was born January 28, 1938, in Norman, Oklahoma. A competitive guard at the University of Oklahoma, he later played for the Phillips 66ers, a nationally prominent amateur basketball team, and earned AAU All-America recognition. Price entered coaching through Oklahoma high-school basketball before working as an assistant at Oklahoma under John MacLeod. His playing and early coaching years belonged to an era when the AAU, college game and developing professional league overlapped, giving him experience in more than one basketball environment before he reached the NBA.

When MacLeod accepted the Phoenix Suns head-coaching job in 1973, Price followed him to Arizona. He was part of the Suns’ coaching staff during 1973–74 and 1974–75, as Phoenix tried to establish a more consistent identity around a changing group of players. The team was still several steps from its surprising trip to the 1976 NBA Finals, which occurred after Price had left. His place in Suns history is therefore as one of MacLeod’s early assistants, not as a member of the later Finals coaching staff. Price had no NBA head-coaching tenure, and the Suns’ team records should not be assigned to him personally.

Price left Phoenix in 1975 to become head coach at Sam Houston State, then returned to Oklahoma basketball in a series of coaching and administrative positions. He later coached at Phillips University in Enid, directed its athletic program and also helped the school’s women’s basketball team. Near the end of his life he became involved with the Oklahoma Storm of the United States Basketball League. His sons Mark and Brent both reached the NBA, but his own coaching story stands on more than that family connection: it includes major amateur basketball experience, college leadership and an early role in the Suns’ development. Price died July 7, 2000, after suffering a heart attack while playing basketball with his sons.

Coaching Career

After his years as an Oklahoma and Phillips 66ers player, Price began his coaching career at the high-school level in Shawnee, Oklahoma. This practical teaching experience preceded his move to college basketball, where he joined John MacLeod’s staff.

Price worked under John MacLeod with the Sooners. Their association proved decisive for his subsequent NBA opportunity: when the Suns hired MacLeod in 1973, he brought Price to Phoenix. The Oklahoma appointment is a separate college coaching role and carries no NBA head-coaching statistics.

Price joined MacLeod’s first Suns staff and worked through two seasons as Phoenix rebuilt around players such as Charlie Scott, Dick Van Arsdale and Neal Walk. The team finished 30–52 in 1973–74 and 32–50 in 1974–75. Those totals describe the Suns under MacLeod rather than Price’s personal coaching record.

Phoenix later reached the 1976 Finals with a different assistant-coaching arrangement. Price had already moved to Sam Houston State, so he should not be credited with the Suns’ 1976 postseason run.

Notable Players Coached / Worked With

Price returned to the college game to become a head coach at Sam Houston State. Contemporary accounts place his resignation after four seasons and a 35–71 record. His move reflected a desire to lead his own team following years as an assistant in Oklahoma and Phoenix.

Price took on coaching and athletic-administration responsibilities at Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma, leading the men’s program and later stepping in with the women’s team. These assignments made him a long-serving figure in Oklahoma’s college basketball community; they should remain distinct from his two NBA seasons.

In his final year, Price became involved with the Oklahoma Storm in the United States Basketball League. His life and coaching career ended in July 2000, soon after this return to professional-level basketball in his home state.