Getty SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 22: Payton Pritchard #3 of the Oregon Ducks takes a shot against Ethan Happ #22 of the Wisconsin Badgers in the first half during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at SAP Center on March 22, 2019 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images)
Oregon’s dynamic playmaking point guard has taken the nation by storm with his strong play to lead Oregon to a Pac-12 title and subsequent huge first-round game against Wisconsin. From a young age, Payton Pritchard was molded by his father, Terry, to facilitate an offense instead of just purely dominating it. Always a talented scorer, that part of the game came naturally to Pritchard who’s high school coach was quoted as telling Oregon Live, “As a sixth grader he could’ve started on our freshman basketball team.”
However, Pritchard’s father would demand from a young age that his talented child learn to share the basketball and properly run an offense. Pritchard even went as far as to say that during his high school days he wasn’t interested in just purely scoring the basketball.
“My dad always told me he’d almost be mad at me if I scored 50 points, or anywhere near 45 and up. Honestly, if you are scoring that in a high school game in only 32 minutes, your other teammates aren’t touching the ball enough and you’re not getting other guys shots.”
Pritchard would go on to make a name for himself in high school and despite drawing the attention of programs nationwide, decided to stay local and head to the University of Oregon.
Pritchard has shown to bring that elite basketball IQ as well as a flair for the dramatic to the Ducks and has been a crucial cog in their program since stepping foot on campus as a freshman.
Pritchard is a classic old-school floor general and does a great job of sharing the wealth in the Oregon offense. While Pritchard leads the Ducks in scoring, he also leads the team in assists and since Bol Bol went down, they have six players averaging between six and 12 points per game, a testament to their unselfish offensive mentality spearheaded by Pritchard.
Payton Pritchard High School Stats
Pritchard had one of the most storied careers in Oregon high school basketball history as he led his team, West Linn, to four consecutive state titles. As a senior, Pritchard did his best work averaging 23.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 3.1 steals per game.
When all was said and done, Pritchard was a four-star recruit and the 54th ranked player on ESPN’s top 100.
Career Averages
- 18.2 points per game
- 3.9 rebounds per game
- 6.8 assists per game
- 80% free throw percentage
- 50% FG shooting
- 42.3% 3-point percentage
- 2.6 steals per game
- 3.3 turnovers per game