Terry Pritchard did not set out to build a program. He set out to teach young players the right way to work. The program was what happened when people saw what the work produced.
The FAST clinics in Oregon City started small. Terry Pritchard teaching basketball fundamentals to young players, one session at a time, building the habits and discipline the FAST philosophy demanded. No crowds. No tournaments. No spotlight. Just work.
But the work was visible. And when work is done right, consistently, at a high level, people notice.
Inner City Players: Where It Began on the Court
Before Team FAST, before the West Coast tournaments, Payton and Anthony Mathis were playing AAU ball together on a team called Inner City Players. It was their first real competitive environment together, two young players shaped by the same training and the same family, finding out what the fundamentals looked like when the game got real.
That experience was the bridge between the clinic floor and the tournament court. And what came next grew directly from it.
The Parents Came Calling
As Terry’s basketball training program continued to grow, the parents of the players he was training began asking him to take the next step. They had watched the FAST fundamentals transform their children. They wanted those kids playing together, competing together, representing what the training had built. Terry said yes. Team FAST was born.
He started with a few boys teams, one at Payton’s age group and one a year above. The FAST philosophy that had lived in training gyms in Oregon City was now going on the road.
“We never chased trophies. We chased development. The trophies were just confirmation that the work was right.” — Payton Pritchard Family Foundation
Winning Up and Down the West Coast
Team FAST went out and competed, and they won. Tournaments in Oregon, Washington, Nevada, and California. The results turned heads. People wanted to know where these kids came from, who was coaching them, and what they were doing differently. The answer was always the same. Basketball fundamentals. Belief. A winning standard that never got lowered regardless of the opponent.
The Competition That Shaped Payton
Those West Coast AAU courts put Payton alongside and against players who would go on to make their own marks on the game. One of them was a guard from Seattle who played for Seattle Rotary, nicknamed Baby Boy. His real name was Dejounte Murray, who went on to become an NBA All-Star.
Every player who was better than Payton taught him something. Every moment where he was outmatched and chose to compete anyway added another layer. He absorbed all of it. Every game. Every opponent. Every possession where the easier thing would have been to back down and he chose not to.
This kid was going to make it. Not because the path was smooth. Because he had decided, somewhere deep and early, that he was not going to stop until he got there.
What This Means Today
The courts of the Pacific Northwest are where Payton Pritchard’s competitive identity was forged. Where the FAST fundamentals met real pressure and held up. That same process, those same basketball drills, that same winning standard, is what the Payton Pritchard Family Foundation camps are designed to deliver. The training that built a champion. The fundamental skills that produce leaders. Available to your player right now.
Visit our website to register for an upcoming camp in Massachusetts or Oregon.
Next in the series: the moment the training built a leader nobody had to ask for, and what that means for your child.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Team FAST AAU?
Team FAST was a youth AAU basketball program built by Terry Pritchard that competed across Oregon, Washington, Nevada, and California and won consistently, proving the FAST fundamental training philosophy on tournament courts across the West Coast.
What was Inner City Players?
Inner City Players was the AAU program where Payton Pritchard and Anthony Mathis first competed together before Team FAST was formed. It was a formative competitive experience that helped bridge clinic training and tournament basketball.
Did Payton Pritchard play against other NBA players growing up?
Yes. The West Coast AAU circuit brought Payton into contact with highly talented players including Dejounte Murray, who played for Seattle Rotary under the nickname Baby Boy and went on to become an NBA All-Star.
How do Team FAST values show up in Foundation camps today?
The same philosophy that drove Team FAST success, fundamentals first, competition as evaluation, honest self-assessment, and a winning standard that never lowers, runs every Payton Pritchard Family Foundation camp today.
How do I sign up for a Payton Pritchard Foundation camp?
Visit the Payton Pritchard Family Foundation website for upcoming camp dates in Massachusetts, Oregon, and future locations.