Sometimes the most important moments in life don’t announce themselves. They arrive as a phone call from a coach who saw something in a young boy that was too good to ignore.
You now know where the Payton Pritchard Family Foundation comes from. Terry winning a national championship at Oklahoma. Melissa winning championships in gymnastics. Lisa holding the Pac-10 three-point record at Arizona. A household where fundamentals were the language and belief in what was possible was spoken out loud every single day.
But knowing where something comes from is not the same as understanding what it is for.
This is the story of what the Pritchard family did with everything they believed in. And it starts with a boy playing on an all-girls team.
A Gift That Could Not Be Ignored
Anthony Mathis was in elementary school, playing on an all-girls team because that was simply what was available to him at the time. His coach noticed early that Anthony had something special. A gift that stood out regardless of the circumstances. That coach reached out to Terry Pritchard.
Terry and Melissa did not have a plan. They did not know where it would lead. What they knew was what they had always known. If you pour the right fundamentals into a young person, give them structure, give them belief, and give them a family that shows up for them, you give them a real chance.
They hoped that was enough to change the trajectory of Anthony’s life. It was more than enough.
What Anthony Gave Back
What the Pritchards did not fully anticipate was what Anthony would give back to them in return. He did not just become part of a program. He became part of the family. Payton and his sister Lexie gained a sibling. And Anthony showed all of them something rare to witness up close: what genuine gratitude looks like in a person who has been given an opportunity and refuses to waste a single day of it.
Terry and Melissa became Anthony’s legal guardians. They held him to the same standard they held everyone and watched him rise to meet it every single time.
“We didn’t know where it would lead. We just knew that if we poured into him the same way we poured into everything else, something good would grow. It did. More than we ever imagined.” — Payton Pritchard Family Foundation
From an All-Girls Team to Division I
Anthony Mathis went on to earn a Division I scholarship, first at the University of New Mexico and then at the University of Oregon, where he played his final college season alongside Payton. Two young men, shaped by the same family, standing on the same court, competing at the highest level of college basketball.
That is not a coincidence. That is what happens when a family decides that their belief in what is possible extends beyond their own walls and into the life of someone who needed someone to believe.
Why This Story Drives Everything We Do
Every basketball camp the Payton Pritchard Family Foundation runs carries the spirit of what happened between the Pritchard family and Anthony Mathis. Every young player who comes through our doors deserves the same thing Anthony received.
A standard. A fundamental training system. Basketball drills built by the coaches who developed an NBA champion. And a group of people who believe in what they can become and are willing to show up and do the work alongside them. That is what the FAST training philosophy was built to deliver. That is what the Pritchard family has always done, and what the foundation was created to scale into winning programs for young leaders across the country.
Visit our website to learn more about our camps and programs and register your player today.
Next in the series: the philosophy behind the training, where it came from, and why it works far beyond basketball.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Anthony Mathis?
Anthony Mathis is a former Division I basketball player who played at the University of New Mexico and the University of Oregon alongside Payton Pritchard. He came into the Pritchard family’s life in elementary school when a coach noticed his exceptional talent and reached out to Terry Pritchard. Terry and Melissa became Anthony’s legal guardians and he became part of the family.
How is Anthony Mathis connected to the Payton Pritchard Family Foundation?
Anthony’s story is the clearest example of what the foundation was built to do. The same fundamentals, belief, and family investment that shaped Payton were extended to Anthony, and the results changed the trajectory of his life. Every foundation camp carries that same mission.
What makes the Payton Pritchard Foundation different from other youth programs?
The foundation is built on a real system with a real track record. The training philosophy, the coaching staff, and the winning standard all come from the same environment that produced Payton Pritchard and shaped Anthony Mathis. This is not a celebrity camp. It is a development program built by the people who built an NBA champion.
How can I register for a Payton Pritchard Foundation camp?
Visit the Payton Pritchard Family Foundation website for upcoming camp dates in Massachusetts, Oregon, and future locations.