Mike Pratt
Mike Pratt (1948-2022)
Teams coached: Charlotte 49ers
Charlotte record: 56-52 (.519)
Overall record: 56-52 (.519)
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 0
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 0
- NIT Championships: 0
- NIT Appearances: 0
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
| 1989-1991 | Charlotte Hornets (asst) |
| 1978-1982 | Charlotte |
| 1975-1978 | Charlotte (asst) |
Mike Pratt Facts
- Michael P. Pratt
- Born August 4, 1948
- Died June 16, 2022
- Hometown: Dayton, Ohio
- Alma Mater: University of Kentucky (BA, 1970)
- The OH-native starred at Meadowdale HS then went on to Kentucky, where he played three seasons for Hall of Fame coach Adolph Rupp
- During Pratt’s time on the varsity team, the Wildcats were 71-12, won three SEC titles and reached two NCAA Elite Eights
- After graduation, Pratt played two seasons with the Kentucky Colonels in the ABA for head coaches Frank Ramsey and Joe Mullaney
- Got into coaching in 1975, joining Lee Rose‘s staff at UNC Charlotte as an assistant coach; part of the 49ers team that went to the Final Four in 1977
- Elevated to head coach in 1978 and led the 49ers for four seasons, going 56-52 overall but never reaching the NCAA Tournament or NIT
- Worked as a scout and then got into broadcasting in 1985, working with the Charlotte Hornets and several television networks
- Had a two-year stint as an assistant with the Hornets, working under head coaches Dick Harter and Gene Littles
- Pratt returned to Kentucky in 2001 to be the analyst alongside Tom Leach for UK Sports Network radio broadcasts of UK men’s basketball games
- Worked in that role for 21 seasons, a tenure that included ten SEC titles, four Final Fours and one National Championship (2012)
- Passed away in 2022 after a long battle with colon cancer; survived by his wife, Marcia, two children, three stepchildren and 10 grandchildren
- Inducted into the UK Athletics HOF (class of 2009), Kentucky Sports HOF (c/o 2010) and Ohio Basketball HOF (c/o 2019), and had his jersey number #22 retired by Kentucky in 2023
Mike Pratt Coaching Tree
- Melvin Watkins (Texas A&M, Charlotte)
