Brian Flinn:
Future150 National Recruiting Analyst. Covering high school basketball nationally.
New York, NY (Future150) -- Recently some of the top sophomores and freshmen from around the country converged in New York City to work out and scrimmage at the Jim Couch Super 16 Showcase. While the top player in each class showed up (Thon Maker for 2016, Cody Riley for 2017) the player that ended up making the furthest trip was West Linn’s Payton Pritchard.
The Oregon native, and new member of Team USA’s 16-U program, made the trek cross country in order to showcase his skills and prove that he should be considered as one of the top point guards in his class.
“It’s an honor to be invited out here and get to go up against the best players,” he said. Pritchard more than held his own, draining threes and setting teammates up during the game portion. His game may not be the most exciting out there, but there’s something to be said for his efficiency. He rarely turns the ball over and creates open shots for both himself and his teammates.
That’s why he is one of the biggest risers in the past year. The talented lead guard simply does exactly what is asked of him and produces. He is sneaky-quick and has great vision. Despite not being overly athletic he is aggressive on the defensive end of the floor and knows how to meet his man at a spot and cut him off.
Pritchard plays with the poise and basketball IQ of someone much older than he actually is. That’s what makes him so attractive to college coaches around the country. Right now, Oregon State is the only program to offer him, but schools such as Oregon, Notre Dame, Villanova, Gonzaga, Boston College, and Stanford are all keeping tabs on him already.
Following his strong showing in New York, Pritchard took a trip out to Villanova and see the campus before heading back to the west coast. While it is still early in the process both in his development and recruitment, he reminds Future150 of former Villanova guard Mike Nardi, something Jay Wright and company surely tried to point out during his visit.
Next up will be Stanford at the start of November. Then Pritchard will look to lead his team to a state title before suiting up with Team Fast for the AAU season. Look for the lead guard to become a big target nationally sooner rather than later.
Comments:
Be the first to post. Just use the form below.