Casey Prather

Casey Prather
Free agent
Position Shooting guard / Small forward
Personal information
Born (1991-05-29) May 29, 1991
Jackson, Tennessee
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight 208 lb (94 kg)
Career information
High school North Side (Jackson, Tennessee)
College Florida (2010–2014)
NBA draft 2014 / Undrafted
Playing career 2014–present
Career history
2014–2015 Bakersfield Jam (D-League)
2015–2016 Perth Wildcats (Australia)
Career highlights and awards

Casey Prather (born May 29, 1991) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for the University of Florida.

Early life

Prather was born and raised in Jackson, Tennessee under the stern watch of his mother Enova and sister Brittany, his parents having split before he was born. Growing up, family and basketball were the only things that kept him away from the growing criminal element in his community. At the age of 12, his stepfather, Jeffery, noticed Prather's athleticism and began teaching him the skills required to pursue playing professionally.[1] Prather went on to graduate from North Side High School in 2010.[2]

College career

Prather chose to accept an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Billy Donovan's Florida Gators men's basketball team from 2010 to 2014. In his first three years, he played a key role on Gator teams that went to three straight Regional Finals in the NCAA Tournament. In his senior year of 2013–14, Prather stepped up to become a key scorer for the Gators, more than doubling his scoring average from 6.2 points per game to 13.8. This increase in production was a key factor for Florida becoming one of the top teams of the 2013–14 season.[3] At the conclusion of his senior season, Prather was named to the All-SEC first team.[4]

Professional career

2014–15 season

After going undrafted in the 2014 NBA draft, Prather joined the Atlanta Hawks for the 2014 NBA Summer League.[5] On September 26, he signed with the Phoenix Suns.[6][7] However, he was later waived by the Suns on October 14 after appearing in one preseason game.[8] On November 2, he was acquired by the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League as an affiliate player of the Suns.[9] On January 19, 2015, he helped the Jam win the inaugural NBA Development League Showcase Cup with 16 points in the final game against the Grand Rapids Drive.[10] In 49 games for Bakersfield in 2014–15, he averaged 12.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

2015–16 season

In July 2015, Prather joined the NBA D-League Select Team for the 2015 NBA Summer League.[11][12] On July 25, he signed with the Perth Wildcats for the 2015–16 NBL season.[13] On October 10, 2015, he made his debut for the Wildcats against the Adelaide 36ers. In 18 minutes of action as a starter, he recorded nine points and five rebounds in a 79–66 win.[14] Six days later, he scored 11 points against the New Zealand Breakers to help the Wildcats claim a 2–0 start to the season. However, a knee injury forced him out of the team's next three games and the Wildcats fell to a 3–2 record. In his return game on October 31 against the Illawarra Hawks, Prather scored 18 points off the bench to help the Wildcats win 91–62.[15] On November 22, he scored a then season-high 26 points and made the winning free throw with 1.5 seconds left in the match to lift the Wildcats to a 91–90 win over the Cairns Taipans. He also recorded 8 rebounds and 5 assists in the game, both season-highs.[16] On December 19, he missed his fourth game of the season due to an ankle injury.[17] On January 15, 2016, he scored a season-high 27 points in a 95–68 win over the Sydney Kings, helping the Wildcats snap a three-game losing streak.[18]

Between January 25 and February 10, Prather missed three out of four games due to hamstring tightness.[19][20] He returned to action for the team's final regular season game against the Adelaide 36ers at home on February 14, recording 15 points and 6 rebounds in a 100–84 win.[21] He went on to lead the Wildcats to a 2–1 semi-final series win over the Illawarra Hawks,[22] scoring 15 points and throwing down a one handed thunderous slam over Andrew Ogilvy early in the fourth quarter of their Game 3 win.[23] Moving on to the Grand Final series, the Wildcats defeated the reigning champion New Zealand Breakers 2–1 to claim their seventh NBL championship.[24] He appeared in 27 of the team's 34 games in 2015–16, averaging 16.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game. At the Wildcats MVP Ball, Prather was crowned the Gordon Ellis Medalist as the club's Most Valuable Player for the 2015–16 season.[25]

References

  1. ↑ Rynne, Nick (October 17, 2015). "Prather thankful for basketball odyssey". Yahoo.com. The West Australian. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
  2. ↑ Cohen, Michael (March 26, 2014). "Jackson, Tenn., product Casey Prather plays crucial role as Florida pursues national title". Memphis Commercial Appeal. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  3. ↑ Dauster, Rob (December 17, 2013). "Casey Prather's Star Turn A Boost for Florida". NBCSports.com. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
  4. ↑ "2014 SEC Men's Basketball Awards Announced". KBTX.com. March 11, 2014. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  5. ↑ "2014 Atlanta Hawks Summer League Roster". NBA.com. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Suns Sign Barron, Jackson, Prather, Wilson". NBA.com. September 26, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  7. ↑ Coro, Paul (August 26, 2014). "Casey Prather trying to stick with Phoenix Suns". AZCentral. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Suns Waive Jackson, Prather, Wilson". NBA.com. October 14, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Bakersfield Jam Announce 2014-15 Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. November 2, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  10. ↑ "D-League Showcase: Jam pack Drive, win first Showcase Cup trophy". SantaCruzSentinel.com. January 19, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  11. ↑ "NBA Prospects Highlight NBA D-League Select Team Roster". NBA.com. July 8, 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Casey Prather helps lead NBADL Select Team to Summer League win, 7/13/2015". YouTube.com. July 13, 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  13. ↑ "PERTH WILDCATS SIGN HIGH-FLYER CASEY PRATHER". Wildcats.com.au (NBL.com.au). July 25, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  14. ↑ "PERTH WILDCATS CRUSH ADELAIDE IN CRUNCH TIME". Wildcats.com.au (NBL.com.au). October 10, 2015. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  15. ↑ "PERTH WILDCATS CRUSH ILLAWARRA HAWKS". Wildcats.com.au (NBL.com.au). October 31, 2015. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  16. ↑ "PERTH WILDCATS DEFEAT CAIRNS IN HEART-STOPPER". Wildcats.com.au (NBL.com.au). November 22, 2015. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  17. ↑ "PERTH WILDCATS DEFEATED BY TOWNSVILLE CROCODILES". Wildcats.com.au (NBL.com.au). December 19, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  18. ↑ "SECOND HALF CLINIC SEES WILDCATS CRUSH KINGS". Wildcats.com.au (NBL.com.au). January 15, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
  19. ↑ "WILDCATS ALERT: Casey Prather will miss...". Twitter. January 25, 2016. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  20. ↑ "FOUR TO MISS WEDNESDAY CLASH". Wildcats.com.au (NBL.com.au). February 8, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  21. ↑ "PERTH WILDCATS END REGULAR SEASON WITH WIN OVER 36ERS". Wildcats.com.au (NBL.com.au). February 14, 2016. Retrieved February 14, 2016.
  22. ↑ "PERTH WILDCATS BOOK PLACE IN NBL GRAND FINAL". Wildcats.com.au (NBL.com.au). February 26, 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
  23. ↑ "Casey Prather Posterises AJ Ogilvy". YouTube.com. February 26, 2016. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
  24. ↑ "PERTH WILDCATS – 2016 NBL CHAMPIONS". Wildcats.com.au (NBL.com.au). March 6, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  25. ↑ "CASEY PRATHER NAMED PERTH WILDCATS MVP". Wildcats.com.au (NBL.com.au). March 19, 2016. Retrieved March 20, 2016.

External links

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