Florida Gators
St. Mary's Health Syst Classic
Prather misses shoot-around with flu-like symptoms, but will play
Sunday, March 18, 2012 | Men's Basketball, Women's Tennis, Chris Harry
OMAHA, Neb -- Florida reserve forward Casey Prather was held out of Sunday's pre-game shoot-around with flu-like symptoms, but Gators coach Billy Donovan said his star from Friday's first-round rout of Virginia to play today against Norfolk State.
Prather woke up early Sunday morning with a 101-degree fever and a sore throat. UF trainer David “Duke” Werner and his staff pumped Prather with fluids and antibiotics in hopes of having him ready for tipoff at 6:10 p.m.
The day before, it was walk-on forward Jacob Kurtz who got sick. He missed Saturday's practice, as did backup center Walter Pitchford. The medical staff had to take some precautions to keep any viruses in check.
While the Gators were going through a 40-minute workout Sunday morning at CenturyLink Center, Prather sat and watched from the sidelines alongside injured sophomore Will Yeguete (photo to left). By the afternoon -- when the team board the bus -- Prather had been loaded with additional fluids.
In the 71-46 defeat of Virginia, the 6-foot-6, 212-pound Prather came off the bench to score a career-high 14 points on 6-for-7 shooting from the floor to go with four rebounds in 22 minutes. He also drew a pair of charges.
The Gators need Prather's athleticism in the front of the press and for help-defense in the halfcourt against Spartans 6-foot-10, 240-pound center Kyle O'Quinn, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Player of the Year. O'Quinn scored 26 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in 15th-seeded Norfolk's 86-84 upset of No. 2 seed Missouri Friday.
