Payton Pritchard gives OU one of nations top point guards
Four-star prospect and 2016 point guard Payton Pritchard didn't need to think about where he was going to play college basketball in two years time after his visit to Norman.
He told his parents, Terry and Melissa Pritchard, how he felt about their alma mater as he was leaving to head back home to West Linn, Ore. He announced his decision to commit to Oklahoma at West Linn High School on Tuesday afternoon.
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"He knew right after his last day at Oklahoma, right after we left," Terry said. "He knew that was the place for him. He liked the coaches, the way they develop players. He loved just being at the football game."
SCOOPHD: PAYTON PRITCHARD HIGHLIGHTS JUNE 2014: ADIDAS UPRISING
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Oklahoma assistant Steve Henson led Payton's recruitment and was one of the reasons Payton fell in love with the Sooners.
"Coach Henson's been great. He's been very honest with Payton up front," Terry said. "So it's been awesome. He's not only a great coach but a great person."
Payton becomes the first commitment for OU in the 2016 class. He's a huge get for OU coach Lon Kruger and his staff. Rivals.com national basketball analyst Eric Bossi calls him a complete point guard.
The 6-foot-2, 180-pound guard was named 2014 Oregon Class 6A State Player of the Year and averaged 18 points and 7.5 assists per game. He's ranked No. 38 in the country for his class and is the highest rated commitment of the Kruger era.
Payton can take defenders off the dribble as well as create his own shot. He checks all the marks in the new-age point guard box.
He's a scoring point guard in an age where teams with anything less will struggle at the Division I level. In fact, Bossi believes what Payton does best is score with basketball.
"To me, Pritchard is the kind of guy who can play in any system and any people around him," Bossi said. "He's a proven winner. He's been tough competing against all the best players in the country. He should be able to step right in and make a big impact."
Payton grew up in Oregon, but his father and mother were both student-athletes at OU. Terry played football at OU during the Switzer era, and Melissa was a gymnast. Payton has loved OU football since he was old enough to carry one.
"He's been a football fan obviously since he's been a little kid," Terry said. "Oklahoma's always been his favorite team, but he just said he loved the people he came to know at Oklahoma. Just everybody related to him, and he knew that was the spot for him."
Terry said Payton being an OU legacy didn't play into his decision as much as his love for the school and the program Kruger and his staff have built into a top 25-ranked team.
"I don't think it factored at all," said Terry of Payton being an OU legacy. "We didn't put any pressure on him as far as Oklahoma. We wanted to help him with his decision, but we wanted it to just be his decision. We purposely never tried to push Oklahoma on him.
"We both felt like that once he got on campus that he would truly love it. It was all his decision. He just loved Coach Kruger and the direction the program is going. That was all him."