WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Skip Prosser has been through an
annual spring ritual after winning at least 20 games in six out of
his seven seasons at Xavier.
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Prosser eyes recruits
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Skip Prosser stands a good chance of landing two spring recruits even
though he wasn't the one who talked them into playing for the Demon
Deacons.
Vytas Danelius, a 6-foot-8, 210-pound forward from Kaunas,
Lithuania, and John Chappell, a 6-10 center at Fork Union Military
Academy, verbally committed to Wake Forest but didn't sign a
binding national letter of intent.
Danelius' coach, Ed Kelly of Park Tudor High School in
Indianapolis, said Wake Forest remains in the running. The coach
has known Prosser for years.
"I like Skip a lot, and I have a very good relationship with
him, and I think Wake Forest made a great move," said Kelly, a
former assistant coach at Butler, where he got to know Prosser.
Chappell, a son of former Wake Forest star Len Chappell, also
remains undecided. His father said Prosser and his staff at Xavier
recruited Chappell this past season.
-- Associated Press
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The calls, inquiries and invitations to visit other campuses, to
coach at bigger schools in better conferences, came and went.
This time it was different.
"There was something about Wake Forest that rang true,"
Prosser said Wednesday after being introduced as Dave Odom's
successor as coach of the Demon Deacons. "I was perfectly prepared
for this not to feel right, because that's how I felt about Xavier,
but the opposite was the case."
Prosser, 50, said the choice was not easy. He prayed at a
Catholic church in Cincinnati on Tuesday morning before deciding to
come to the small Baptist school along Tobacco Road.
"I slept on this and went to Mass at 8 a.m. and spent a lot of
time in church and finally came to a decision," Prosser said. "It
was time for me to say goodbye to Xavier and hello to Wake
Forest."
Prosser takes over a team that started the season 12-0 and was
ranked as high as No. 4, but closed it losing 11 of its final 18.
Six key players return from that NCAA tournament team.
The players were shocked when Odom left for South Carolina two
weeks ago, but they warmed up to Prosser in a hurry as he promised
a running style.
"He seems just awesome," point guard Ervin Murray said. "He
really wants to win and he really has a feel for what it takes to
win. He seems like a great leader and I want to be a leader under
him."
Josh Howard, a second-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference player,
smiled when asked why he liked Prosser.
"I'm excited because he says we can run and gun," the team's
leading scorer said.
Odom was 240-132 in 12 seasons, winning two ACC titles with Tim
Duncan in the mid-90s.
"I came here to play for the coaching staff that was here, and
it was a big disappointment, but things change in life and
sometimes they don't go the way you want it," center Darius
Songaila. "I think this is going to work out in a good way."
Prosser has already been in the gym working with some players
and had a crowd of 150 Wake Forest fans laughing at several jokes
as he poked fun at himself and about winning in the rugged ACC.
"I went to the Final Four in Minneapolis. I saw Duke and
Maryland were there. I know how difficult it is going to be,"
Prosser said of competing against teams like the Blue Devils,
Terrapins and North Carolina. "But that's certainly one of the
challenges that excites me.
"The kids came here to play against those guys and those
teams," he added. "I know the kids are here to accept that
challenge and I feel the same as the players."
Prosser said his only regret was not having his wife, Nancy, and
his two sons at the news conference. His wife is a trauma nurse and
was working in Ohio, while one son was working and another was at
Marist College.
Prosser refused to comment on any possible recruits at
Wednesday's news conference.
In seven years as Xavier's coach, Prosser had a 148-65 record
and took the Musketeers to the NCAA Tournament four times and the
NIT twice.
Xavier was 21-8 last season, losing to Notre Dame in the first
round of the NCAAs.
Athletic director Ron Wellman refused to release any details of
Prosser's contract other than to say it is financially competitive
by ACC standards. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
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ALSO SEE
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Vitale: Move to Wake makes sense for Prosser
AUDIO VIDEO
 Skip Prosser is named the head coach of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
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 Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser looks to be competitive and win in the ACC.
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