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Payton Pritchard, a 2016 point guard from West Linn, Oregon, will make his college announcement next week on Monday Tueday according to The Oregonian, and Villanova is one of 7 finalists for his commitment. In addition to 'Nova, his final list includes Gonzaga, Michigan, Michigan State, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Wisconsin.
He told the Portland newspaper, "I love Jay Wright. I like the coaching staff. I like the players and the way they play." Right now, Villanova holds just 25% of the predictions in the 247 Crystal Ball, but with news of the impending commitment that should fluctuate.
Pritchard has close connections to Oregon (close to home) and Oklahoma (his father's alma mater). He's seen plenty of Villanova, having first visited Villanova in October of 2013 as well as attending Hoops Mania a few weeks ago. Wisconsin has been in on his recruitment for quite some time, while Gonzaga just recently offered. It doesn't appear that he holds an offer from Michigan or Michigan State, but that could be incorrect information on his recruiting profiles.
The high school junior is listed at 6'2" and 180 pounds and plays his AAU ball for Team Fast in the Pacific Northwest. He is ranked 39th nationally in the 247Composite rankings, and is the #8 point guard.
With the 2015 verbal commitments set to sign their LOIs this week, Pritchard would be a major coup for Jay Wright and Baker Dunleavy (who himself has roots in Oregon) to start off the 2016 cycle.
Wednesday (11/12) Update: The announcement has been updated to take place on Tuesday at 9:55am PST.
West Linn 4-star PG Payton Pritchard (@fastpp3) to announce his college commitment at his high school Tuesday at 9:55 a.m. #opreps
— Andrew Nemec (@AndrewNemec) November 12, 2014