Rochelle Township High School alum Grant Prusator ended his prep basketball career as one of the greatest scorers and all-around players in program history. Nearly eight years after graduating from RTHS, Prusator will be returning to the high school hardwood, only this time he’ll be coaching from the bench as a varsity assistant at Zionsville High School in Indiana.

Prusator scored over 1,500 points in his career with the Hubs, earning two IBCA All-State Honorable Mentions and setting a single-season record with 96 triples during the 2011-12 season. The all-time 3-point record holder with 282, Prusator went on to play four years of college hoops, spending one season at Highland Community College before transferring to Indiana State University for two years and ending his career at Arkansas Tech.

“I’m looking forward to the opportunity to help players achieve their goals on and off the court,” Prusator said. “There are so many things to learn through the game of basketball about leadership, handling adversity and how to focus on details and mastering skills… The more I get away from playing the game and investing in coaching, the more I’ve loved coaching and training players who have goals to make the varsity team or play collegiately.”

Prusator currently lines in Noblesville, Indiana and teaches special education at Zionsville. He was introduced to the basketball program two years ago, hiring on as a volunteer assistant for the junior varsity team before current head coach Shaun Busick informed him of the varsity assistant opening for this coming season. Outside Zionsville, Prusator has recently served as a youth basketball skills and development coach with the M14 Hoops Training Academy.

“I have so many mentors and coaches at different levels who have taught me how to connect with players,” Prusator said. “My father Todd [Prusator], coach [Tim] Thompson and coach [Russ] Zick have made a huge impact on how and why I coach… I hope to become a full-time basketball trainer one day and help players achieve their dreams on the court.”

From JUCO to Division I and Division II, Prusator’s unique collegiate experience saw him fill a variety of different roles with his respective teams. Whether he was a leading scorer and facilitator, a 3-point specialist or a reserve on the bench, Prusator said his ability to relate with players and their experiences, including injuries, has helped him grow as a coach and a trainer.

“I’ve had to work through many different situations so I can relate to what many players are going through,” Prusator said. “I want to help players learn and grow through my experiences and hopefully I can elevate their experiences on the court… I think I can help players who are hungry and ambitious to achieve their goals. I’m a basketball junkie and I love having the ability to focus on the details of scoring, being a point guard and studying what makes players great.”