As a new college graduate in 1972, George Edward “Skip” Prosser III wanted to take his love of politics and history into a high school classroom. But to get the teaching job he really wanted, Prosser had to perform one extra duty at the Linsly Institute in Wheeling, W.Va.
“They told me I had to coach ninth-grade basketball and help with the ninth-grade football team,” said Prosser. “I figured, `How hard could it be?’ “
Prosser found out in his first basketball game as head coach.
“We were down 16-0 at the end of the first quarter and it was 22-0 before my team scored,” he said. “I figured there was a lot more to (coaching) than I thought. But we got better.”
As a coach, Prosser got a lot better. So good, in fact, that he soon gave up on the idea of being a history teacher to pursue his new-found passion. Today, some 30 years after that humble beginning, Skip Prosser is taking on some of the top guns in his profession as the first-year head coach at Wake Forest.
“This thing just sort of evolved for me,” said Prosser, 50, who attended the Merchant Marine Academy because it was one of the few to offer him a basketball scholarship. “I can’t say that I sat there all those years ago and dreamed of coaching in the ACC. I just kept looking for the next challenge and when it presented itself, I took it.”
Prosser represents a significant change of style for Wake Forest. In 12 years under Dave Odom, the Demon Deacons averaged 20 wins, went to eight NCAA tournaments and won a pair of ACC championships.
But Odom’s methodical style of play had begun to draw criticism, particularly since the exit of All-America center Tim Duncan after the 1997 season. After the 2001 team got bounced in the first round of the NCAA tournament by Butler, both Odom and Wake Forest were ready for a change. When Odom did not get the contract extension he sought last April, he accepted South Carolina’s offer for a fresh start in the SEC.
Enter Prosser, whose up-tempo, full-court approach resulted in 148 wins in seven seasons at Xavier in Cincinnati.
“I didn’t know anything about him other than he liked to play up-tempo,” said senior Craig Dawson. “The guys on the team got pretty excited about that.”
That excitement lasted until Prosser held his first round of conditioning drills at 7 a.m.
“We were running so much I thought I was on track scholarship,” said senior guard Broderick Hicks.
Prosser began the season trying to play the up-tempo style but it soon became obvious that for this group of players, recruited to Odom’s system, it would not work.
“I have to use some intelligence and not be stubborn to the point of trying to fit a square peg into a round hole,” said Prosser. “Plus we have a lot of seniors. I owe it to them to give them the best chance to win as I see it.”
Prosser still lets his Deacons run, but now picks the spots. The results, until recently, had been pretty good. Wake Forest was 13-3 and ranked as high as No. 13 in the coaches poll until the harsh reality of playing in the ACC hit home.
On Jan. 15, the Deacons went to No. 10 Virginia and lost 86-74 after leading by 11. Four days later, they traveled to No. 1 Duke and got hammered 103-80. On Jan. 23 at home against No. 3 Maryland, they were simply pounded by the deeper and more talented Terps, 85-63. It snapped Wake Forest’s nine-game home winning streak.
But the Deacons bounced back to win 87-74 Saturday at home against Georgia Tech and then got an 82-81 win at North Carolina State on Wednesday.
It could be a while before Prosser gets his system fully in place at Wake Forest. The top 10 players include five seniors, two juniors and three freshmen.
“I could have stayed at Xavier and been very comfortable, but this is a challenge I wanted to take,” said Prosser. “If you haven’t tried, you haven’t lived.”
