Tom Pritchard Biography
Tom Pritchard is a basketball player from Ohio, who played for Indiana University. Pritchard played in every single game of his 4-year career at Indiana University. He is predominately remembered for his highlight dunk against Minnesota in 2011. Pritchard became a fan favorite because of his hard-nosed style of play and leadership qualities. He would later go on to work in ticket sales for the Indiana Pacers and coach high school basketball.
- Name: Tom Pritchard
- Position: Forward
- Nationality: USA
- Age: 34 years old
- Birthday: August 8, 1990
- Hometown: Westlake, Ohio
- High School: Lakewood St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio)
- Height: 6’9″ (206 cm)
- Weight: 245 lb (111 kg)
- Seasons: 4 (2008-2009, 2009-2010, 2010-2011, 2011-2012)
- Jersey: #25
- NBA Draft: 2012 / Undrafted
- Education: Degree in Sport Communication Broadcast
Awards and Accolades
- Finished career as the 18th highest IU career field goal percentage (52.8%)
- Played in every game at IU during his career
Tom Pritchard Seasons with the Hoosiers
6-25 (1-17 Big Ten)
10-21 (4-14 Big Ten)
12-20 (3-15 Big Ten)
27-9 (11-7 Big Ten)
🏅 NCAA Sweet Sixteen
Tom Pritchard Indiana University Career Statistics
| GP | GS | MIN | AVG | FG | FGA | PCT | 3PM | 3PA | PCT | FT | FTA | PCT | OFF | DEF | TOT | AVG | PF | FO | AST | AST/G | T/O | BLK | STL | PTS | AVG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-2009 | 31 | 31 | 899 | 29 | 111 | 233 | 0.476 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 78 | 135 | 0.578 | 89 | 108 | 197 | 6.4 | 100 | 2 | 35 | 1.1 | 77 | 24 | 21 | 300 | 9.7 |
| 2009-2010 | 31 | 22 | 618 | 19.9 | 56 | 92 | 0.609 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 19 | 51 | 0.373 | 51 | 56 | 107 | 3.5 | 98 | 4 | 14 | 0.5 | 33 | 18 | 15 | 131 | 4.2 |
| 2010-2011 | 32 | 22 | 583 | 18.2 | 36 | 61 | 0.590 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 8 | 23 | 0.348 | 48 | 73 | 121 | 3.8 | 94 | 4 | 22 | 0.7 | 17 | 23 | 5 | 80 | 2.5 |
| 2011-2012 | 36 | 0 | 358 | 9.9 | 22 | 40 | 0.550 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 4 | 9 | 0.444 | 26 | 32 | 58 | 1.6 | 61 | 0 | 14 | 0.4 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 48 | 1.3 |
| Career | 130 | 75 | 2458 | 18.9 | 225 | 426 | 0.528 | 0 | 2 | 0.000 | 109 | 218 | 0.500 | 214 | 269 | 483 | 3.7 | 353 | 10 | 85 | 0.7 | 137 | 70 | 46 | 559 | 4.3 |
Tom Pritchard High School Career and Recruiting Profile
Pritchard was a top 100 recruit coming out of Lakewood St. Edward (Ohio) High School. While Pricthard eventually became a popular recruit, this was not always the case. In fact, for most of his high school career he flew under the radar. Instead of playing AAU basketball, Pritchard spent his summers playing baseball. While he was unseen on the national AAU circuit because of baseball, he was also fighting for playing time on a very successful high school team. When Pritchard played junior varsity, the team finished 19-1 and he seemed poised to take the limelight on the varsity team the next season. The only problem was there was another outstanding player that took most of the shine: future Michigan State player Delvin Roe.
Fortunately, Pricthard’s luck began to change after his junior year. He began playing AAU and took on a larger role for his high school team. Then, Roe and another prominent player got injured, allowing Pritchard to step into the spotlight. In a nationally televised ESPN2 game, Pritchard posted 23 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 blocks.
Still, despite playing well, it was a recruiting mistake that led to his eventual commitment to Indiana.
Kelvin Sampson was at a game and thought he was watching a player named Kenny Frease, who was committed to Xavier. Sampson was impressed by the player and was disappointed because he knew Frease had already committed. However, Sampson eventually realized the player he was watching was shooting with his left hand and was actually not Frease at all. The player Sampson was watching was Tom Pritchard. If it wasn’t for this mistaken identity, Pritchard may have never been recruited by the Hoosiers, but this simple twist of fate led to a great relationship which ended in Pritchard’s commitment.
As a high school senior, Pritchard averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds, leading to him being named the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Player of the Year. He also led his team to the Ohio State Championship game that year. He reportedly had offers from Miami (Ohio), Penn State, and Indiana at the time of his commitment to the Hoosiers.
After Sampson’s departure due to recruiting violations, Pritchard honored his commitment and stayed with the program despite the changes to the coaching staff.
Tom Pritchard Indiana University Basketball Career
Pritchard is the only player in IU history to play in every single game of his 4-year career.
As soon as he stepped on campus, Pritchard was part of the rotation. He played 29 minutes per game as a freshman, scoring 9.7 points with 6.4 rebounds per game. In his first two games of his college career, Pritchard posted back-to-back double doubles. He was the first player in IU history to start his career with this feat. This would be Pritchard’s career-best statistical season, but while his numbers may have never been the same, the importance of his leadership and work ethic to the team was ever present.
