Women’s basketball adds Romes and Price to coaching staff

DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Defiance College women's basketball team have added a pair of assistant coaches with William Romes and Marco Price serving alongside Head Coach Courtney Peay for the upcoming 2024-25 season, the athletic department announced on Wednesday.

William "BJ" Romes joins the women's basketball staff after coaching junior high and high school basketball for the last six years at Kalida, a program led by DC grad Adam Huber. Coach Romes has served as the JV head coach and varsity assistant for the previous three seasons. Romes served for 21 years in the United States Air Force and Air National Guard rising to the rank of Master Sergeant while teaching and equipping leaders at home and abroad. A Northwest Ohio native, he is a 1999 graduate of Fort Jenning High School and was an All-Putnam County League selection during the team's district championship season.

"I am excited to bring Coach Romes on board with leadership experience and a great understanding of what we are building here at DC," says Coach Peay. "Coach Romes is no stranger to the area and he is going to be a huge factor in us recruiting local talent! With his military background, I am honored to work alongside someone who served this country for 21 years. With his mind for community, service, and leadership we are looking forward to a very bright future."

Marco Price comes to DC after coaching in the AAU ranks in Texas since 2017. His experience in AAU circles allowed him to grow an extensive network as a recruiting contact. Coach Price's coaching career stretches back over 15 years at the high school and college level while also serving at summer camps operated by Tom Izzo, Doug Bruno, Pat Summit, and Kenny Smith. 

His introduction to coaching came in 2007 as an assistant coach at Fairdale High School in Louisville, Ky. before becoming the varsity coach the following year. He moved to his hometown of St. Louis and took an assistant coaching role at McCluer North before making the leap into the college ranks in 2010. Price spent time as an assistant coach at Kaskaskia College (Ill.), Southern University-Shreveport (La.), Labette Community College (Kan.), and Cisco College (Tx.), all NJCAA programs. In 2010-11, he was the interim head coach at Kaskaskia while the team earned an upset victory over No. 2-ranked Southeastern Illinois College in the JuCo regional tournament and averaged more than 76 points per game. He then returned to McCluer for two years as an assistant coach before being named the interim, which earned him a conference coach of the year award for winning the league with two all-conference players. He also went back to Fairdale in Kentucky for a successful three-year stint that resulted in two district runner-up finishes in a highly-competitve state for basketball.

"Coach Price brings 15-plus years of basketball experience to our program," says Coach Peay. "His recruiting footprint speaks for itself! He will help develop our players into some of the top talent in the conference. Coach Price also brings a wealth of experience with fundraising and commitment to the community. We are excited to build this legacy."

-JACKETS-