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22 Mike Pratt

Name
Mike Pratt
Position
Forward
Class
SR
Hometown (Last School)
Dayton, OH (Meadowdale)
Ht
6'4"
Wt
217
Seasons
1967-68, 1968-69, 1969-70
Birthday
August 4, 1948

Mike Pratt was born Michael P. Pratt on August 4, 1948, in Dayton, Ohio to Raymond Eugene and Grace Joyce Pratt.  

Pratt played for Meadowdale High School and by the time he was done with his high school career, he was an all-state performer and the all-time leading scorer in City League play with 1,396 points.  He was rated as one of the top schoolboys in Buckeye state history.  Pratt was held under double figures only twice in his last three years of high school and posted a 24.9 average his final season.  The Meadowdale high star was sought by nearly 100 schools. Finally, on April 26, 1966, this highest scorer in Dayton prep history chose Kentucky, which was involved in a tight recruiting battle with his hometown university. He cited a desire “to get away from home and grow up while getting my education.”

Pratt was a three-year starter for the Wildcats and was a part of one of the best trios in program history under legendary head coach Adolph Rupp. The trio, which included Dan Issel and Mike Casey, accounted for more than 5,000 points and 2,300 rebounds in just three seasons of varsity action.

As a freshman at Kentucky, Pratt held a solid 20.1 scoring average during a season in which he totaled 402 points while hitting 55.1 percent, to lead the team, from the field.  He was the third rebounder with 162 grabs.  Pratt also led the frosh in assists with 55.

As a sophomore at Kentucky, Pratt contributed 380 points and 222 rebounds.

As a junior at Kentucky, Pratt set a new Wildcat season record for field goal accuracy, hitting 54.7 percent.  He rolled along at a 16.9 points and 8.8 rebounds per game clip.  Called by Rupp one of the strongest basketball players ever at UK.

A two-time first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection by the league’s coaches (1969, ‘70), Pratt was named an Academic All-American in 1970. He helped lead UK to three SEC championships and two Elite Eight appearances, finishing the regular season ranked No. 1 his senior season. 

The 6-foot-4 forward averaged 16.8 points per game and 8.9 rebounds per outing in 81 career games played at UK. Pratt also amassed 29 double-doubles throughout his career.

His best performance came in a 102-100 win against Notre Dame in Freedom Hall on Dec. 27, 1969. Pratt poured in a career-high 42 points and added eight rebounds. He was a perfect 10 for 10 at the free-throw line.

Pratt and the Wildcats went 71-12 overall and 48-6 against league foes during his career and were ranked in the Associated Press top five for 33 weeks, including the duration of his senior season.

Pratt played two seasons with the Kentucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association and was later an assistant coach on UNC Charlotte’s 1977 Final Four Team, before becoming head coach of the 49ers in 1978.

Following a stint as a professional scout, he then moved into broadcasting in 1985. Pratt worked with the Charlotte Hornets Television Network, ESPN and Fox Sports South.

Beginning with the 2001-02 season, Pratt was courtside for every Kentucky men’s basketball game as the UK Sports Network’s radio color analyst alongside play-by-play announcer Tom Leach.

Pratt was on the call for 558 wins, highlighted by the 2012 National Championship victory. The Wildcats have also claimed the SEC regular-season title eight times, the SEC Tournament crown eight times, and advanced to four Final Fours and nine Elite Eights with Pratt on the radio team.

Pratt (1967-70) was inducted into the UK Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009, the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019. He was a second-team All-America selection in 1970 with the Wildcats and finished his career with 1,359 points and 718 rebounds.

Pratt died on June 16, 2022, at the age of 73, after a battle with cancer. 

He is survived by his wife Marcia Schmidt Pratt, brother Patrick Pratt and his wife Andrea, daughter Tamaryn Pratt and her husband Jonas Tanenbaum, son Christopher Pratt and his wife Amy, and stepchildren Christina Stone and her husband Tyler, Andy Schultz and his wife Kaelin, Tim Schultz and his wife Sarah, as well as 10 grandchildren.

Pratt was a beloved figure in Kentucky basketball, and his death was a great loss to the state. He was a talented player, a successful coach, and a gifted broadcaster. He will be remembered for his contributions to the game of basketball, and for his love of the University of Kentucky.

College Statistics:

Per Game

Season G GS MP FG FGA FG% FT FTA FT% TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
1967-68 27   28.5 5.6 12.4 .455 2.8 4.1 .685 8.2 3.0       2.5 14.1
1968-69 26   36.7 6.7 12.3 .539 3.6 5.1 .705 8.8 3.8       2.7 16.9
1969-70 28   35.9 7.8 16.8 .466 3.6 5.2 .703 9.4 3.5       2.9 19.3
Career 81   33.7 6.7 13.9 .484 3.3 4.8 .698 8.8 3.5       2.7 16.8

 

Totals

Season G GS MP FG FGA FG% FT FTA FT% TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
1967-68 27   769 152 334 .455 76 111 .685 222 82       68 380
1968-69 26   955 173 321 .539 93 132 .705 230 100       69 439
1969-70 28   1006 219 470 .466 102 145 .703 264 99       82 540
Career 81   2730 544 1125 .484 271 388 .698 716 281       219 135

 

On This Day In UK Basketball History

On March 28, 1992, in what many called the “best NCAA Tournament game ever,” Kentucky takes defending NCAA champion Duke into overtime before losing 104-103 in the East Regional finals in Philadelphia. A last-second shot by Christian Laettner sends Duke to the Final Four, and breaks the hearts of Wildcat fans everywhere. It is Cawood Ledford’s last game as the “Voice of the Wildcats.”

 

On March 28, 1998, against Stanford, Kentucky rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit, then grabbed a 5-point overtime lead, before fending off the Cardinals to advance to the title game for the third straight season. Jeff Sheppard canned three long-range three-pointers - two in the final three minutes and one in overtime - en route to a career-high 27 points.

 

On March 28, 2014, unranked Kentucky beat No. 5 Louisville 74-69, in the 2014 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.  Aaron Harrison buried a three-pointer from the left corner with 39 seconds left that put UK ahead to stay before 41,072 in Lucas Oil Stadium.

 

On March 28, 2015, No. 1 Kentucky defeated No. 8 Notre Dame, 68-66, in the 2015 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.  With its 37-0 record on the line, Kentucky trailed Notre Dame 59-53 with 6:14 left. UK rallied in front of 19,464 fans in Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena and preserved its perfect season thanks to a crucial blocked shot by Willie Cauley-Stein and two game-deciding free throws from Andrew Harrison in the final seconds.

 

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