LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Ahmad Price died on July 30 from what his family is calling an accident.

He was just 22 years old.

A star at Fern Creek high school, he played his first year at Indiana University Southeast last year.

His death is being felt by all in the community.

“Louisville, Jeffersonville Indiana, New Albany, to Beckley West Virginia, to Robinson Illinois, everyone loved Ahmad,” Price’s dad Juan Price said. “I was very proud of him. I’m still proud of him. Very proud of him.”

For people who watched Price play, it was evident early that he had talent.

“We went to a tournament in St. Louis, and we came back from this tournament and I found an article that someone had written about it him, and I was like ‘are they talking about my son?’ And they were,” Price’s mother Artie Mitchell said.

“5th grade, yeah, he stood out,” Lee Brones, one of Price’s coaches said. “He stood out immediately.”

Brones was Price’s coach up until high school. He says Price’s approach to the game gave him almost unlimited potential.

“He wanted to be the best that he could be,” Brones said. “And he went out there, and he proved that. He reached a high level of college basketball that he would’ve went on and been able to if he wanted to play this game for money.”

Once Price hit high school, Brones handed him over to coaches James Schooler and Carlos Mitchell at Fern Creek High School.

Prince helped the Tigers win back-to-back regional titles, the first ever in the school’s history.

“Ahmad made all that possible,” Mitchell said. “He was our champion. He was the backbone of the team. All the guys looked to him. He’s a winner man. I’ve seen him dive for balls and bust his face open on the court just to get up and tell me that he would never let me lose.”

After a couple stops, Price ended up at Indiana University Southeast. In his first year he was named Newcomer of the Year and Second Team All Conference.

His younger brother Xavier was set to join him on the team next season.

“We were talking about national championship at IU Southeast this year,” his father said.

Then tragedy struck. On July 30, Price passed away. The cause of death hasn’t been released. But his story is not over.

“The legacy he left behind means more than anything he could accomplish here with us,”Juan Price Jr, Price’s older brother, said. “And that’s what gives me motivation to know that as a family we’re going to be alright.”

For all the accolades Price earned on the court, his family and coaches said what he did off the court was what defined him as a person.

Things like putting together a coat drive and feeding the homeless, passing on his skills by coaching kids, and even starting his own business.

“In his 22 years, he did more in his life than most people do in their entire lives,” Price’s mother said. “So you can’t help but be grateful. If you ever met Ahmad Price, you’ll know the feeling. You’ll never forget him.”

“That’s Ahmad, that’s the kid he is,” his father said. “He’s a champion, he’s our champion. We lost a champion.”

Price’s family and coaches are making sure he’s never forgotten.

“Now we have a camp in his name” Price Jr. said. “And we also have a scholarship getting ready to be started in his name.”

“We’re going to dedicate this playground behind me to Ahmad,” Schooler said. “And we’re going to decorate with everything about Ahmad. The number 10 is so iconic in the black and orange.”

Although he may not be here physically, Price’s friends and family are still channeling his positive attitude.

“I referred to my brother as the light that moves through chaos,” Price Jr. said.

“And in the famous words of Ahmad Price, ‘It’s not rain, mom, it’s liquid sunshine,” Mitchell said.

The first ever Ahmad Price Basketball camp is Sunday, Aug. 14 at the Delta Gym. They plan to have one every year for kids aged seven to 14.

Email apricecamps@gmail.com for more information.

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