Starkville (MS) 6'1 Forte Prater is heading to Northwest CC
Article by: TeLante’ Webber
A year ago many in the state of Mississippi, myself included, may have not known who Forte Prater was. I first saw him in December against West Point. One thing that you can’t miss when watching him play is his effort. When you walk into a gym the player that does a little bit of everything will always leave a lasting impression. Fast forward to February and Starkville easily defeats Murrah with the bench playing most of the game. That win was sparked by Prater and he has been one to follow ever since. Starkville always seems to have talented guards and sometimes you can get lost in the shuffle if you cant provide the basic skills needed to help the jackets win. Forte embodies all of those qualities a coach needs in his PG. In 2019 the Jackets went 26-1 and finished with the 6A State Championship. Like many, I questioned if Forte would be able to run the PG spot. August 2019 I had a chance to coach with Team Mississippi 17U in the Halftime Sports World game. Spearheading that team was Prater. I learned a lot about him over the course of that weekend. His drive and leadership qualities are two things that a coach will never have to question. That weekend we matched up against South Carolina. They featured a team that had Butler Signee Myles Tate, who is a top 30 PG in the country. Mississippi went on to win that game lead by Prater. I knew after that game he was ready to take that next step in being a college prospect at the PG spot. A month later he shows up to the Tidal Wave camp and dominates everyone who stepped in front of him. He made it easy to pick an MVP that day with him putting all of his skills on display. The 2019-20 basketball season rolls around and he has added bulk and looks primed to have a monster season. With last season Championship MVP Zeke Cook out for most of the season the jackets needed someone to lean on, and Forte was the go-to man. Starkville finished the season 24-2 and completed the repeat. Forte received game MVP honors to top off a great senior season. Now the wait has finally come to an end and everyone can stop calling asking “where is Forte going to go”. Today we find out where he will spend a portion of his college career.