A new chapter starts for the Southern Nazarene men’s basketball team as they’ve brought in two new coaches for the upcoming season. Graduate assistant Cameron Daye and assistant coach Josh Price will fill the remaining roles on staff alongside head coach BJ Foster and assistant Coach Julious Coleman. The duo will have plenty on their plates as Foster continues to build on the program’s recent success.
Daye formerly served as a manager for the Middle Tennessee State University men’s basketball team, where he decided he wanted to have a future in coaching. “[After] being a manager at MTSU, I realized how much I love being around the game, team, and staff,” he explained. “I enjoy going to work every day, and I’ve always wanted to have a job like that.”
Daye said he learned a lot from his role as a manager at MTSU. “You do everything from laundry, meals, film, and supporting the coaches,” he said. “It prepares you for everything because you have eggs in every basket.” There are still differences from being a manager to now being an official part of the coaching staff. Coach Daye stated, “As a manager you’re in more of a support role, supporting the players and supporting the staff. Now I can critique the players, help them more, watch film with them, and break it down to help them get better as a player.”
When diving into some of his goals, he commented on how he wants to put in the work while also helping and having fun. “Personally, I just want to help the staff in any way I can, make sure the players get better, and make sure I provide anything the staff asks from me,” he explained. “For the team, we obviously want to win and have a good, enjoyable, and fun season, but hopefully end up with a championship at the end.”
When asked where he sees himself in 10 years, Daye replied, “I’ll be 32, hopefully in a high assistant role, or maybe even a head coaching role depending on where the school is at. I just want to be at a school that I really love with a staff that welcomes me. I want to be somewhere where I enjoy doing the work every single day.”
Price played at Rogers State University and Friends University. After his playing career ended, he moved into coaching, taking a job at USAO before landing at SNU. “I loved my time at USAO, but I love it here at SNU,” he stated. “Having that faith component at the university has been really great. I’ve also really enjoyed learning from Coach Foster and Coach Coleman,” he continued.
Price has always had a passion for coaching, crediting coaching a group of third graders in high school for sparking that passion, and Coach Justin Barkley for pushing him further into the career. “I had a great coach at Rogers State named Justin Barkley, and he really pushed the idea in my head to be a college coach. I have fallen in love with it since,” he said.
Price also carried key lessons from being a player into his coaching career. “Another great thing Coach Barkley did was instill some mental toughness into me; you have to show up every day and it’s like that as a coach and in the workplace. Showing up every day and being ready and prepared.”
When discussing his goals, Price emphasized being there for the players and staff.
“I just want to help everybody in the best way I can, answer any questions I can, and improve their experience,” he described. “Whether it’s on the court, mentally, physically, or even spiritually, I want to be there for the players for any of their needs.”
Looking ahead, he still wants to be coaching. “I want to be somewhere I really love and still doing what I love. It’d be awesome in 10 years to be a head coach, but I just wanna be at a place I really love, somewhere that values me, and takes athletics seriously,” he stated.
Foster arrived at SNU in the 2023-24 season. In his inaugural year, the Crimson Storm men’s basketball team finished with a 16-14 record. In the two years since, Foster has led SNU to two 22-plus-win seasons and a conference championship, accumulating a record of 61-29 (67.8% winning percentage).
With this success comes two huge roles to fill within the coaching staff for Price and Daye as they look to contribute to even more success for the SNU men’s basketball team.
Photo by: Richie Overcash