If Ricky Price has learned one thing after playing professional basketball for nearly a decade, it's that at some point, every player's pro career will end. It's inevitable.

"Basketball is a young man's game," says the Rochester RazorSharks' 6-foot-6 forward. "At some point the ball stops bouncing."

The trick, says the 31-year-old Price, is figuring out what you're going to do when that happens. Many pro players have no idea how they're going to make a living after they retire, and Price wants to help some of them adjust to life after hoops.

He does that as a member of Worldwide Hoops, a basketball talent agency that assists pro players in finding places to play --- and organize and plan their lives outside of the game. Price joined the firm a year ago, and since then he's become committed to mentoring young players.

"I understand the nature of the basketball side and the business side," he says. "A lot of these kids don't understand it. I can be a good mentor to them and show them how to be a good professional and carry themselves the right way."

Says RazorSharks coach Rod Baker: "When you're a player, there's a door you keep walking toward, and Ricky helps kids know what to do when they get to that door."

Price's basketball pedigree goes back roughly 15 years, to when he was a high school All-American at Serra High School in California in the early 1990s. He then played for perhaps the best men's college program in the country at Duke University before turning pro in 1998.

Since then he's played as a professional in 11 countries, from Hungary to the Philippines to Venezuela. He also played stateside in the Continental Basketball Association and eventually moved to the Knoxville Noise of the American Basketball Association. He signed with the RazorSharks in November 2006 and has become a key role player in the team's quest for a second straight ABA title.

As of Monday Price was averaging 6.3 points and 2.3 rebounds a game, but his contribution goes beyond the stat sheet. Baker says Price has helped fill the void left by ABA MVP Chris Carrawell, who departed to play overseas after last season. Just as current 'Sharks forward Eric Coley complemented Carrawell last year, Price has emerged as a complement to Coley in 2007.

In general, Price carries the type of stability and level-headedness that a young team like the RazorSharks needs. "Because of his experience, he brings a calmer head," says Baker. "He's seen an awful lot in his time."

Besides that, the coach says, Price can still ball.

"He brings a significant amount of talent and skill," Baker says. "Everybody wants to talk about his experience, but he's still got some game left in him."

Price says his tenure at Duke, where legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski stresses discipline and composure, was a key facet of his development.

"I learned to take ownership of my game," he says. "You have to prepare to win and take nothing less than winning."

Winning is something the RazorSharks did a lot of in 2005-06, when the team compiled a 30-4 record and won the ABA title in its first year of existence. This year, however, has been a little more of a struggle. Although Rochester carried an 18-6 record as of Monday, at times the team hasn't been as dominate as it was last season.

"At times we have lapses, especially on the road," Price says. "Sometimes along the way we lose focus and lose games we're supposed to win."

At those times Price tries to right the ship by instilling composure and calmness in his teammates. But almost more importantly, he says, he tries to remind younger players that although winning should always be the top goal, losing one game isn't a catastrophe.

"There's always another game," he says. "There's always a next game where you can redeem yourself, always another opportunity to show improvement. It took me a long time to figure that out. You learn that losing is not the end-all. That teaches you resilience, and that's what separates the good players from the great players."

It's that wisdom and perspective that might be Price's most crucial contribution to the RazorSharks. Price hopes he can bring those qualities to his younger peers not just on the floor, but away from the game as well. Through his leadership and experience, he hopes to help his teammates comport themselves with maturity and professionalism in their basketball careers and beyond.

"You can't play forever," he says. "You have to be prepared and know exactly what to do next."

The Rochester RazorSharks host the Cape Cod Frenzy at Blue Cross Arena on Monday, February 19, at 4:05 p.m. Tickets cost $9.50-$26.50 and can be purchased at the arena box office, through Ticketmaster, or by calling 232-1900. Go to www.razorsharks.com for more information.