Coaching Turnover Turns Off Prize Player : Basketball: Rick Price III plans to leave St. Anthony after playing for four coaches in three years.

Turnover has been a troubling word for St. Anthony High School guard Rick Price III.

The problem is not in holding on to the basketball, but holding on to a coach.

During his three years at the Long Beach parochial school, Price has had four basketball coaches, three athletic directors and two principals. And last month, St. Anthony hired another basketball coach, Nick Colon, along with a principal and athletic director.

Colon is the Saints’ third coach in 10 months. He was hired from Coast Christian High in Redondo Beach.

“It’s been constant turmoil for me,” Price said. “I get used to one coach and he is gone.”

Price, who is regarded by scouts as one of the top 25 college prospects in the nation, decided last week to take matters into his hands. He plans to transfer to either Serra High in Gardena or Bishop Montgomery High in Torrance for his senior year.

“It’s definitely a setback for the program, but the program will go on,” Colon said. “If he doesn’t come back, we wish him well. (But) we have to play with the hand we are dealt.”

In the past, Rick Price II has resisted his son’s requests to change schools, mostly because it gave the appearance that Rick wanted to play for a stronger basketball program. St. Anthony finished 11-15 last season.

“This is not about athletics,” the elder Price said. “We’re moving because the constant turnover of administration has been less than choice for an academic institution.”

To maintain athletic eligibility under CIF Southern Section rules, Price must move with either his mother or father, who are divorced, to a new residence. Currently, Price lives with his mother, Rosita, in Compton. His father lives in Carson. Rick Price II said he has spent about $11,000 on his son’s tuition at St. Anthony.

In addition, the Southern Section is expected to investigate Price’s transfer because he is a high-profile athlete.

“I’m going to seek advice from the Southern Section office before we make a move,” the elder Price said. “We want to ensure his transfer is legit.”

The 6-foot-6 Price has been a varsity starter since his freshman year. Last season, Price averaged 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists a game and was selected to The Times’ South Coast All-Star team and to the Southern Section Division IV first team.

Price has a 2.5 grade-point average, but has yet to pass a college entrance examination. He scored a 690 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test, 10 points less than the minimum required to be eligible as a college freshman according to NCAA guidelines.

Price, rated as one of the top three prep players in California, has been contacted by more than 250 colleges. He is considering Kansas, California, Arizona, UCLA, USC, Arkansas, Memphis State, Ohio State and Cal State Long Beach.

But Price has to pick a high school first.

‘I want to do well in academics,” he said, “not just basketball. I believe basketball is a vehicle to get a good education, and I want a good education.”