Payton Pritchard and Ime Udoka go way back.
The Boston Celtics guard and new coach both hail from Portland, and with the hires of Damon Stoudamire and Aaron Miles, Udoka is establishing quite the group of Oregon expatriates.
According to Pritchard, the basketball community there is small. But based on how Udoka’s coaching staff is coming together, it’s a loyal one.
“I’ve known of coach for a long time now, just because of Portland, the community there’s a lot smaller,” Pritchard told reporters Tuesday from the NBA’s Summer League. “And he was a heck of a player growing up and then obviously, when he was with the Spurs, he did camps at Adidas Nations and stuff. I would see him there and stuff like that.”
The two will reunite when Udoka’s duties with Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics are done.
Pritchard can’t wait to get going with him. Despite the organizational changes after his rookie year, the sophomore guard will benefit from already knowing his new coach as he takes on significantly more responsibility this season.
As things stand now, Pritchard really is the only ballhandler behind Marcus Smart and recent veteran addition Josh Richardson.
“He’s going to be an awesome fit for our team,” Pritchard said of Udoka.
“I think he’s going to push us, but he’s going to make us better and I think we’re all just looking forward to this opportunity to work together and make something happen this year.”
