Pritchard playing major role for Tulsa as a sophomore
Anthony Pritchard's first season at TU made one thing perfectly clear. TU is usually better with him on the court.
Pritchard, a throwback to the good Tulsa teams that almost always had local talent, and often Tulsa Public Schools players, is being counted on heavily by the Golden Hurricane at point guard this season.
The Webster HS graduate had a solid debut season in 2021-2022, starting 18 of the 27 games he played. He averaged 4.4 points, 3.0 assists, 2,6 rebounds, and 0.9 assists.
Pritchard isn't easy on himself when evaluating his first season, which was cut three games short at the end of the season due to a fractured metatarsal bone in his foot that required surgery.
"One out of 10, I would say 6," Pritchard said about rating his freshman season. "My freshmen year was a great learning experience.
"Obviously, playing with Jeriah Horne and Sam Griffin, two really good players, learning how to get them open shots, taught me how to be a good point guard. It was a really good teaching thing to learn from older guys on the team, and how to be better."
Pritchard signing with TU broke a long string of not having a TPS player that dates back to the 2004 season with Jason Parker from Memorial. Players like all-time leading scorer Shea Seals from McLain, Marcus Hill, Antonio Reed and Jamal West from Booker T. Washington, all helped elevate TU basketball.
When area players and other players from Oklahoma like Dante Swanson, Eric Coley, Pooh Williamson, Rod Thompson, Ray Poindexter, Anthony Heard, Tracy Moore, James Woodard, Daquan Jeffries, Brian and Jeff Rahilly, Jeff Malham, Jodie Huffman, and others play for TU, it helps both those players and TU itself.
New coach Eric Konkol likes his point guards, two of which he inherited -- Pritchard and Griffin -- and also newcomer Brandon Betson, a Chicago State transfer.
"We talk all the time about there are three people who can't have bad days," Konkol said. "I can't have a bad day, your best player can't have a bad day, and your point guard can't have a bad day."
Konkol has made a point of saying that Pritchard is expected to be the starting point guard, but not the only one.
"Point guard is really the head of the snake, if you will," Konkol said. "You've got to be able to have great point guard play. And many times, there's more than one on the floor. Brandon Betson, the newcomer, he's going to play the point as well.
"Any time a guy's got the ball in his hands, he's the point guard of that moment. Guys like Anthony Pritchard, Brandon Betson and Sam Griffin are going to be in playmaking positions a lot. And they've got to be ready to perform."
Pritchard almost didn't become a Golden Hurricane, having originally committed to Tennessee Tech.
"It was a family thing that happened. I just wanted to be close for that reason," Pritchard said. "When I decommitted, Tulsa reached out.
"It's a blessing. A lot of people don't get to do that. Having my family and friends close and able to watch games is a blessing."
Pritchard was a standout for Webster, showing abilities as a prolific scorer. Although a point guard in high school, he definitely had to get used to sharing the ball.
For those who remember, in his senior year, Webster played with a limited roster all year, but still made it to the state semifinals.
"We had only 6 guys. That was crazy," Pritchard said, while noting Webster never had to go down to 4 players on the floor due to foul trouble. He fouled out midway through the fourth quarter in the semifinals.
"I was pretty much playing point guard all the time in high school, having the ball in my hands."
Pritchard said his three-point shot will be improved over last season, when he made 4 of 21 from behind the arc.
"I've been in the gym working on it a lot. It's great," said Pritchard of his three-point shooting. "My freshman and sophomore years (of high school), I shot more threes. Covid year, I wasn't in the gym as much."
Konkol's more upbeat style of play is something that should play into Pritchard's hands.
"The style of play is very free," he said. "We have a couple of sets, a couple of plays, but the majority of it is free, pass and cut, set screens, so it's not set every time. It's very fast paced."
On fast breaks, passing to open guys for threes is to be expected.
Pritchard said his strengths include being able to create for others, and being able to be downhill, in the paint.
"I can shoot the rock, but I have an advantage when I'm in the paint,'' Pritchard said.
Pritchard is also glad for the man defense emphasis instead of last season's matchup zone.
"Last year, we played a three defense, a type of zone. This year it is strictly man, get up in the offensive player, except for the zone full court 1-2-1-1 press," he said. "I prefer man. I don't have to think as much."
Pritchard has started both games this season at point guard and is averaging 8 points, 3.5 assists, 2 steals and 1.5 rebounds. In Tulsa's home-opening 85-79 win over Jackson State, he scored 10 points and dished 5 assists in 30 minutes of court time.
"The energy is going in the right direction," Pritchard said.
Tulsa faces Loyola-Chicago on Nov. 17 at 8:30 pm in the Myrtle Beach Invitational.