Done deal: United snares Wildcats’ MVP Prather
CASEY Prather has signed with Melbourne United.
Ex-Perth Wildcat Prather, 26, is set to make his debut for United in the upcoming NBL Blitz pre-season competition.
With the explosive guard locked away and former NBA power forward Josh Boone travelling to Melbourne for a second stint in the NBL, United is poised to complete its aggressive list build.
Casper Ware remains a priority signing for United, but the club understands the guard cannot commit until he has exhausted all NBA and European opportunities.
United chief executive Vince Crivelli said the club spent the off-season scouring the globe searching for a “Casey Prather type”.
“It was pretty obvious that an area we really wanted to get better in on the perimeter was having a really aggressive two-way player,” Crivelli said.
“Somebody that could play on both sides of the ball and when we were putting together the blueprint for it and piecing together what are the attributes we were looking at it was pretty quick that we were actually looking for ‘a Casey Prather type’.
“Instead of looking for a Casey Prather type we actually get Casey Prather.”
Two-time NBL champion and Wildcats’ most valuable player Prather averaged 19.5 points a game last season, along with 3.5 assists and 1.6 steals.
“It’s not an easy thing to do in a championship team to be the guy the club considered to be the most valuable player,” Crivelli said.