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LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky basketball Hall of Famer and radio analyst Mike Pratt died Thursday just after a battle with most cancers.
He was 73.
A Dayton, Ohio, native, Pratt played for Kentucky from 1966 to 1970. He was a two-time to start with-crew All-SEC variety. As a senior, Pratt was named a Converse 2nd-group All-American just after averaging 19.3 points and 9.5 rebounds per video game.
Pratt spent two seasons playing for the Kentucky Colonels in the American Basketball Association before setting up a coaching vocation. As an assistant coach, he served lead Charlotte to the 1977 NCAA Closing 4.
Pratt later on served as head mentor at Charlotte for 4 seasons, compiling a 56-52 file.
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In October 2001, Pratt was named the men’s basketball colour analyst for the British isles radio network. He ongoing his obligations together with enjoy-by-engage in man Tom Leach in modern decades while going through cancer treatment plans.
Pratt also hosted a radio exhibit in Louisville with fellow Kentucky basketball legend Dan Issel, who he played with for both United kingdom and the Colonels.
“My coronary heart is damaged,” Leach said. “He was more brother than broadcaster companion to me and producer Jim Barnhart through so a lot of great situations. We cherished him just like the Massive Blue Nation did. He was an remarkable basketball analyst, but an even much better spouse, father, grandfather and mate.”
At the time he was employed to be the radio analyst for Kentucky basketball video games, Pratt was doing the job as a Tv set analyst for Fox Athletics South. The original salary present was not ample to encourage Pratt to be part of the broadcast workforce, in accordance to the 2021 e-book he wrote with Leach, but British isles was ready to enhance the salary to a level Pratt was comfy making the go from television to radio.
The first determination was just for one time to examination the chemistry between Leach and Pratt, who were being replacing Ralph Hacker and Sam Bowie on the radio broadcasts.
The duo finished up doing work 20 seasons collectively. Pratt’s previous simply call was Kentucky’s stunning NCAA Event decline to No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s in March.
“We have a good group,” Pratt wrote in the e-book. “Jimmy Barnhart is the best producer in the world, and I consider the 3 of us match effectively. It is really like a spouse and children. It can be been superb.”
Pratt served on the coaching look for committee that finally brought John Calipari to British isles in 2009. That exact same 12 months, he was inducted into the United kingdom Athletics Hall of Fame.
In July 2019, Pratt had a tumor eliminated from his colon. The cancer later on spread to his liver, jaw and back.
In Might, family members members launched a fundraising hard work to aid fork out for an experimental cure. Calipari pledged $50,000 to the marketing campaign.
In accordance to the campaign internet site, Pratt was scheduled to commence the therapy on June 16, the day he died.
“We dropped a family members member, a component of the Kentucky loved ones and a good friend. If you at any time had the satisfaction of conference Mike Pratt, you understood what a exclusive person he was,” Calipari said. “Mike was a pricey pal to me and was an integral element in helping me turn into head coach below. Ellen and I will without end be grateful to him for his aid and kindness. We need to all be grateful that he was in our life. Mike understood that the College and the Significant Blue Nation beloved him, and they in no way forgot what he did as a participant and then later as a connection for the application. I’m going to skip him.”
Pratt is survived by his wife, Marcia Schmidt Pratt brother, Patrick Pratt daughter, Tamaryn Pratt son, Christopher Pratt stepchildren, Christina Stone, Andy Schutz and Tim Schutz as nicely as 10 grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, the household asks donations be built to Kentuckiana Mates of V. Ideas for a celebration of lifestyle are staying finalized.
“Neglect about the basketball, forget about the broadcasting, I imagine the legacy that Mike leaves is he was just a darn superior man,” Issel reported Friday morning in his initially episode of his ESPN 680 radio display due to the fact Pratt’s demise. “He by no means satisfied a stranger, he constantly had time for every person, and I’m likely to skip him dearly. I can consider solace in the reality that I know exactly where he is appropriate now. My good friend will in no way have to truly feel that excruciating ache again.”
Email Jon Hale at [email protected] Follow him on Twitter at @JonHale_CJ.
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