A.J. Price Returns To UConn Campus For Visit

STORRS, Conn. – University of Connecticut freshman basketball player A.J. Price returned to the UConn campus for a visit on Thursday night as the Huskies played Bridgeport in an exhibition game. Price suffered a intracranial hemorrhage last month and held a press conference at halftime of the UConn-UB game. The following is a transcript of the press conference where he was joined by his father Tony (photo by Associated Press at left):

How are you feeling?

I feel really good.  I’m getting stronger every day.  Rehab is going good and helping me out.  I’m doing things I need to do to get back slowly.

What kind of things are you doing?

I’m stretching, riding the bike, walking on the treadmill – different things, working my legs, getting stronger.

What was your reaction to the ovation? (Price was introduced during a timeout in the first half)

It was great.  Everybody just showed a lot of love.  It made me feel really good.

Do you have a different perspective on life?

Definitely.  I have a lot more faith in God now.  Life itself, you can’t take it for granted because it can be taken away very quickly.  So, I do have a different perspective on it.

It must have been scary

It definitely was scary, waking up, being in the hospital, not knowing what happened to you.  But my family was there to support me the whole time.  Now I have to work through it.  But it was scary, I can say that.

Any timetable when you might return to campus?

Not right now.  There’s no timetable.   We’re not sure.

Do you have to be careful not to rush yourself back to the court?

Basketball, right now, is secondary to me.  Most important is my health, so I’m going to take my time coming back.  There’s no set date right now.

How does it feel seeing your teammates out there?

It’s good to see them, good to see everybody.  They’re doing well.  They showed me a lot of love when they saw me.  Hopefully we’ll get to talk later today.

When will you be evaluated at the hospital?

Next week.

Are you feeling any aftereffects of the illness?

When I first came out of the hospital I was really weak, actually.  Going to rehab, I feel strong, almost 100 percent.  But I don’t think I’m ready to come back on the court yet.  I’ve got a lot more rehabbing to do.  It’s just going to take time.

How much weight did you lose?

I lost about 25 pounds.

Do you want to grab a basketball and play?

I am eager, but, then again, I know I’m not able right now.  I just have to take my time.

How many cards did you get?

I got hundreds of cards, hundreds of cards….One card that brought tears to my eyes was the one from the team.  I was expecting little things, little jokes, but they were really sentimental about it.  That showed me they cared a lot, and had a lot of love and support for me.

Anything you would like to say to your family and friends?

I’d like to tell everybody:  Thank you all for your blessings and your prayers.  I’ll be back soon.