Sampson finds big man for ‘08 class

Wait, Tom who?\nThat was the reaction of most Hoosier fans this fall when virtually unknown Tom Pritchard pledged to play basketball next season for IU coach Kelvin Sampson. Sampson had never heard of the 6-foot-8 big man when he first saw him play this past summer.\n“As is the case a lot of time in recruiting, you go to watch one kid and wind up coming back asking about another kid,” Sampson said at a press conference in November. “I can’t remember who I went to see, but early in the game against a very high level team, I said ‘Who is this kid?’”\nPritchard, an unranked, three-star center, according to recruiting services Rivals.com and Scout.com, hails from Westlake, Ohio. Playing high school ball alongside five-star forward and Michigan State-bound Delvon Roe, and being a part of the same IU recruiting class as highly-touted Devin Ebanks, it is easy to understand why Pritchard has been slapped with the “unheralded” label.\nBut on Dec. 6, Hoosier fans began to take notice of Pritchard. That night, Pritchard’s high school, St. Edward, opened its season at home versus consensus top-five recruit Jrue Holiday and the Campbell Hall Vikings of North Hollywood, Calif. In the ESPN2-televised game, Pritchard scored 23 points, pulled down 14 rebounds and blocked five shots in St. Edward’s 78-73 victory. \nThat night also marked the last time Pritchard took the floor with Roe and senior guard Alex Sterba, both of whose high school careers ended due to serious knee injuries. The following night, when St. Edward hosted Western Reserve Academy, the Eagles became Pritchard’s team. \nSt. Edward coach Eric Flannery said Pritchard really had to adjust to his new role after Roe and Sterba went down. Since the injuries, and as of Jan. 18, Pritchard has averaged 16.5 points and 10.6 rebounds.\n“What’s interesting to see now is how Tom is expanding his game and going on without Delvon,” said Flannery, a 2007 AP Division I Coach of the Year. “I think that’s only going to help him down the road as a player.” \nFlannery, who has coached Pritchard since his freshman year, said the senior star has come a long way, “improving tremendously over four years.”\n“I think in many ways – and I’ve said this to many people – \nhe could go down as our biggest success story,” Flannery said. “We’ve had great players go through our program, and Tom has really gone down and developed. He’s going to be a great piece to a big puzzle at Indiana.”\nPritchard’s 240-pound frame will really help the Hoosiers inside, said John Decker of Hoosiernation.com. He said Pritchard is a very skilled passer for someone his size and will be a solid role player for four years in Bloomington.\nJoining a frontcourt that will boast 295-pound junior DeAndre Thomas as well as lanky and inexperienced freshman Eli Holman, Pritchard will have an opportunity to make a big impact as a freshman. \n“The opportunity is definitely there and I’m willing to take it with necessary improvements in the offseason,” Pritchard said.\nThose improvements, he said, are shooting, finishing around the basket and getting stronger – each a necessary element in becoming a better post player. No matter his progress, Pritchard said he will embrace whatever role Sampson assigns him.\n“I’ve never been concerned with playing time,” he said. “I’ll sit on the bench and cheer the team on if it helps the team win.”\nPritchard said he chose the Hoosiers over Penn State, Miami (Ohio), Virginia, Virginia Tech and Providence. Pitchard cited Sampson and IU’s basketball tradition as two of the primary factors that led to his signing.\n“A big key was coach Sampson and all his knowledge and being a great guy,” Pritchard said. “Also just the basketball; it’s a basketball state and everyone likes basketball (in Bloomington).”\nOff the court, Pritchard says he is “very laid-back, shy and just easygoing.” \n“Quiet” was the first word that his high school coach thought of, but Flannery isn’t expecting him to play quietly at IU.\n“On the court I think he’s going to make a huge contribution,” he said. “I think over the next four years he’s going to surprise a lot of people.”