Tulsa Basketball adds three signees to 2021 class
On Wednesday, April 14 -- the first day of the regular basketball signing period -- Tulsa's three additional commitments became official signees.
Those following along in Hurricane Alley are already very familiar with these three additions: Tulsa (OK) Webster guard Anthony Pritchard, UTA transfer guard Sam Griffin III and Colorado transfer forward Jeriah Horne.
Pritchard averaged 22.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.6 assists as a senior, leading Webster to the Class 4A semifinals and earning Green Country Conference Player of the Year for the second straight season.
"Anthony is a special young man and his story of perseverance and resilience is one that hits you right in the heart," said TU head coach Frank Haith. "I am so excited to have Anthony staying home and coming to The University of Tulsa. We have known Anthony for a number of years, as he has been on our campus for camps and clinics. He is a perfect fit here at TU, being a tremendous student, wonderful young man and tremendously talented basketball player.
"Anthony is an explosive point guard that plays the game with passion and tremendous efficiency. He can score at all three levels and can put in buckets in bunches. He has a great feel for the game and works tirelessly at his craft with the desire of being great. I believe those traits will be contagious for our team. I am excited for Anthony's future at TU, and I know our community is as well."
In Pritchard's junior season, he averaged 19.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 3.8 steals.
"Anthony is a great kid. He is very competitive with a strong will to win and compete, " Webster head coach Scott Bowman said in a statement. "Anthony strives to get better every day on the court. His future is bright at The University of Tulsa."
Sam Griffin is a 6-foot-3 combo guard that played two seasons for UT-Arlington, averaging 11.2 points in 57 games. As a sophomore last season, he averaged 13.3 points per game while shooting 39 percent from beyond the arc. He was fourth in the Sun Belt for three-pointers made during conference play.
“Sam will just be a sophomore for us next season, but he already has two productive years in college under his belt with the extra year being granted,” said Haith. “It was important for us to get an older, immediate impact guard in our program to complement the great high school guards that we have signed in this recruiting class.”
As a senior at Miami (FL) Westminster, Griffin averaged 23 points while earning Class 4A first-team all-state honors and leading his team to a state title.
“Sam’s strength is in his ability to shoot the basketball at a very efficient level. He made 60 three-pointers in just 26 games last year and shot it at a nearly 40 percent clip from three as well, “ Haith explained. “He also showed he could handle the basketball and be a great decision maker. Like the other five guys in our recruiting class, Sam is a hard worker. His game has improved every year, and that doesn’t happen by accident. Sam is going to come in and just keep getting better and better and is going to have a fantastic career on and off the court at TU.”
Jeriah Horne returns to Tulsa as a grad transfer, one year after transferring to Colorado for a season. He spent three seasons at Tulsa, sitting out the 2017-18 season after transferring in from Nebraska.
In 2020-21, Horne helped lead Colorado to an NCAA tournament appearance, while scoring 10.8 points per game. He shot a stellar 39.7-percent from three and 90.6-percent from the charity stripe.
“Jeriah’s return is a huge boost. Our fans know Jeriah and have a great appreciation for him. They know what he brings back to our program," Haith said. "Jeriah is a great leader and is about all the right things. He wants to win and he does the little things that are needed to win.
“He led Colorado in rebounding this past season, he was second on their team in scoring and shot nearly 40 percent from three and over 90 percent from the foul line. Jeriah makes our team better immediately and was a significant part of our championship success in 2020 and a huge part of Colorado advancing to the NCAA Tournament this past year.”
In the two seasons Horne saw the court at Tulsa, he averaged 10.6 points and 5.0 rebounds in 63 games. In his junior season, he averaged 11.3 points and 5.8 rebounds.
“The thing I’m most excited about for Jeriah is that he's getting to put his final college stamp back here at TU, his alma mater," said Haith. “He will have a chance to finish up his playing career at Tulsa and have a chance to leave a lasting legacy for himself and our program.”
Horne, Griffin and Pritchard join Tulsa's three November signees: Sterling Chapman, Tim Dalger and Gavyn Elkamil. View their profiles below. TU still has one scholarship remaining and has been scouring the transfer portal for a big man.