Prather thankful for successful return

Casey Prather knows all about winning in the NBL and being a genuine star in the league, but the feeling of being back on court after two and-a-half years is like nothing else after his successful return with Brisbane Bullets.

Prather proved himself one of the best, and most explosive and unstoppable, players in the league in previous stints at the Perth Wildcats and Melbourne United which saw him end up winning three championships.

Along the way, Prather was a two-time club MVP at the Wildcats, he was named to the All-First NBL Team in 2017 and was quite the force with his power, speed, athleticism and ability to both finish at the rim and to shoot the ball.

He last played in Israel where he was named MVP of the league for the 2020/21 season, but knee problems have hindered him since before he has now arrived at the Bullets for the rest of NBL24, and hopefully beyond.

Having arrived in Brisbane last week and suiting up for the win at home to the South East Melbourne Phoenix, Prather made his debut in Sunday's win in Sydney against the Kings and the 32-year-old offered a glimpse into what he's still capable of.

Prather hit a three-pointer quickly after hitting the floor when the Bullets were down 10 and he would go on to play almost 11 minutes for the game finishing with eight points and two rebounds.

Even for someone who has played at such a high level like Prather and who has accomplished what he has, just to be back out on the court and to see a shot or two fall again is a feeling he will always treasure.

"It feels amazing and the good thing about being out for a while was that I was able to get in the gym and perfect my craft a little bit more," Prather said.

"Just seeing the hard work translate over into the game is always amazing, especially being my first game away in Sydney. I wish it was at home so I could see our fans and get that energy, but it was amazing and a great feeling."

It would only be natural for Prather to have some doubts ahead of playing his first game since the 2020/21 season ended in Israel back in June 2021, but it ended up being quite the memorable occasion on a number of fronts with the win for the Bullets in Sydney.

"First and foremost, I'm thankful to God for having this opportunity for coming back out here to play especially after the situation that I had a couple of years ago," he said.

"Being out there with the guys, it was just unbelievable, man. It's the best feeling I could have hoped for and then making some shots helped a lot too, and getting this win in Sydney was the cherry on top."

Prather has been impressed instantly from what he's seen at the Bullets since he first arrived almost two weeks ago.

He could see the potential there with the team from what they can do at both ends of the floor, and that not only can they be a playoff calibre team, but a genuine championship contender.

"The vibes were there from the start. The offensive skill set was there, the defensive skill set was obviously there and they were just missing a little bit of that fire and consistency throughout the whole game," Prather said.

"Just being able to work with the guys in practice and seeing how they've just taken on the challenge possession by possession, minute by minute, and game by game was very encouraging to me.

"I thought right away when I got here it was a championship calibre team and I'm glad to be part of it."

While Prather has played at a superstar level wherever he's been in his career whether it's an All-First NBL Team member or MVP in Israel, all he's worried about right now is just slowly building himself back up and doing what he can to help the Bullets reach their potential.

"I'm just happy to be on the court. I don’t get caught up on MVP or awards talk or anything like that, I'm just grateful to be in a situation where I can help this team build and grow, and long-term I'll get back to that level myself," Prather said.

"I pulled up pretty well and what's next for me is analysing where I can get better, where I can help the team and those smaller areas or wherever the case may be, and just keep building from here.

"Obviously my goal is to get back to that level to win us a championship here with the guys and I'm not stopping until I do that."