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| Millsaps athletics file photo |
A familiar face will be the new head men's basketball coach at Millsaps, as former assistant coach Michael Prather has been selected to lead the program for the Majors.
"I am grateful to director of athletics Aaron Pelch and President Pearigen for the opportunity to continue to build Millsaps basketball into a consistent winner in the Southern Athletic Association," said Prather. "Many people have supported me throughout my career, and I am especially thankful for the guidance and support of the head coaches with whom I have worked. My hope is to have a similar impact on the young men in our program."
Earlier in the offseason, Millsaps had named Sam Kohnke as interim head coach. Prather replaces Jimmy Smith, who left in mid-April to take over as head coach at Trinity (Texas).
Most recently, Prather worked as an assistant coach at Louisiana College for two seasons, but prior to that was the assistant coach at Millsaps during the 2017-2018 season.
During that year the Majors improved their Southern Athletic Association win total by five games, and won the most games for the program since the 2010-2011 campaign. Prather also helped to implement a defensive system that led the conference in defensive field goal percentage and was second in the league in three-point defensive field goal percentage.
He also worked directly with the guards, including Michael Sullivan who went on to earn First Team All-SAA honors, a first for a Majors men's basketball player in ten seasons.
"We are very excited to have Michael as our new head men's basketball coach, and are looking forward to adding his family to ours at Millsaps," said Pelch. "He has had great success as an assistant at various institutions in Division III, has been part of an Elite 8 team, and is known for having a great defensive mind. Michael is committed to the Division III philosophy of balance between athletic and academic commitments and I believe he will be a great mentor to our players as they grow. I'm excited about the future of Millsaps basketball under Michael's leadership."
At his most recent stop at Louisiana College, Prather was a part of the coaching staff that helped lead the Wildcats to a school record for wins, 19 during the 2018-19 season. He again oversaw a defense that led the conference in field goal percentage. He also identified and recruited student-athletes that won ASC Newcomer of the Year, First Team All-ASC, Second Team East Division, and honorable mention East Division.
Prather also worked for ten years as an assistant at his alma mater, East Texas Baptist. While there, the Tigers won the 2014-15 ASC championship and advanced to the NCAA Division III Elite Eight.
Prather is a 2007 graduate from ETBU with a bachelor's in education. He earned a master's in history from Stephen F. Austin in 2014.