Skip Prosser, entering his fourth season as the Wake Forest head coach and one of college basketball's winningest active coaches, is proving to be the perfect for the Demon Deacon program.

After serving as the head coach at Xavier for seven seasons, Prosser came to Winston-Salem prior to the 2001-02 season and has built the Wake Forest program into a contender for ACC and national championships.

Prosser was named Wake Forest's head coach on April 24, 2001, replacing Dave Odom.

What Prosser has accomplished in three short seasons at Wake Forest is nothing short of remarkable:

- Prosser has led the Demon Deacons to an average of 22.3 wins per year (67-29).

- Wake Forest has posted three consecutive winning records and won 31 league games in the rugged ACC. In fact, Prosser's 31 ACC wins is second only to Bill Guthridge (32 wins) for a coach in his first three years in the ACC.

- The Demon Deacons have made three straight NCAA Tournament appearances.

- Wake Forest has defeated 10 nationally-ranked teams.

- The Demon Deacons have been ranked in the Associated Press top 25 for 33 consecutive weeks entering the 2004-05 season.

- In 2002, Wake Forest won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time since 1997.

- In 2003, Wake Forest won the ACC regular season title outright for the first time in more than 40 years.

- In 2004, the Deacons advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1996.

- Wake Forest, in 2003, became the first team in the history of the ACC to lead the nation in rebounding.

- Prosser was named ACC Coach of the Year in 2003.

- He has coached the ACC Player of the Year (Josh Howard in 2003) and the ACC Rookie of the Year (Chris Paul in 2004).

- Two of his four recruiting classes at Wake Forest have included McDonald's All-Americans -- Eric Williams in 2002 and Paul in 2003.

What Prosser has accomplished at Wake Forest is not limited to on-the-court success.

He has embraced Wake Forest's academic standards and stressed performance in the classroom by his players. Every senior that he has coached at Wake Forest has earned his diploma. From Day One, Prosser has made academics a priority with his players. Mandatory study halls are the norm, class attendance is checked, and Prosser even named academic counselor Jane Caldwell the team's "MVP" in 2002.

With an exciting style of basketball, a strong relationship with the student body and raucous pre-game festivities, Prosser and his staff have turned Lawrence Joel Coliseum into one of the loudest facilities around. With black and gold tie-dyed T-shirts filling the arena and the mascot riding Harley-Davidson, the atmosphere in Wake's home arena has turned 180 degrees.

Prosser and company have made home games more than just a basketball game, but an event. Increased attendance has resulted. The Deacons have responded by going 41-6 at home, including a 24-game homecourt win streak and a 16-0 record in Joel Coliseum in 2002-03.

* * * * Prosser's 11 years as a head coach have been a model of consistency. His teams have won at least 21 games in each of the last eight seasons. His teams have advanced to the NCAA Tournament eight times and to the NIT twice.

Prosser's overall record of 232-107 (.684) gives him one of the highest winning percentages among all active Division I coaches "I don't have a career record," Prosser said. "The players won those games."

Despite Prosser's modesty, it is impossible to ignore the success that has followed his career. Prosser has won regular season titles in three different leagues (ACC, Atlantic 10, MCC), postseason conference tournament crowns in two leagues (Atlantic 10, MAAC). He has been named conference Coach of the Year in two different leagues and he is one of just 14 active Division I coaches to lead three different teams into the NCAA Tournament. Prosser, in fact, is the only coach in NCAA history to lead three different schools to the NCAA Tournament in his first year at each school.

In 18 years as a college coach, Prosser has coached in 16 postseason tournaments.

Prosser has seen many of his players go on to enjoy successful careers in the NBA and overseas. In 2002, Darius Songaila was taken in the second round of the NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics and he currently plays for the Sacramento Kings. Josh Howard was selected in the first round of the 2003 Draft by the Dallas Mavericks.

At Xavier, Prosser-coached players such as David West, James Posey and Torraye Braggs, who are currently in the NBA. Former Musketeers Michael Hawkins, Gary Lumpkin, Lenny Brown and Darnell Williams are also enjoying pro basketball careers. As an assistant at Xavier, Prosser helped recruit future NBA players such as Derek Strong, Aaron Williams, Larry Sykes, Tyrone Hill, Brian Grant and Michael Hawkins.

* * * *

In Prosser's first season at Wake Forest in 2001-02, he led the Deacons to a 21-13 record (despite facing seven teams ranked in the top 10), a third-place finish in the highly-competitive Atlantic Coast Conference and an NCAA Tournament appearance.

Prosser led Wake to a 9-7 record in the league, tying for third place behind only two recent NCAA champions -- Maryland and Duke. The Deacons swept rivals North Carolina and NC State, won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time since 1997 and set a school record for points scored, assists and three-point attempts in one season.

Only four coaches in the 50-year history of the ACC won more league games in their rookie year than Prosser did. He became the first rookie coach at Wake Forest since 1927 to post a winning record. Prosser was a finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year Award.

But the 2001-02 season was just a stepping stone. In 2002-03, Prosser guided Wake Forest to its highest level since the Tim Duncan era.

Wake Forest finished the 2002-03 season with a 25-6 overall record and a final No. 8 ranking in the Associated Press poll -- Wake's highest finish in the poll since 1995. The Deacons finished 13-3 and in first place in the ACC standings for the first time since 1995. It was WFU's first outright ACC regular season title in 41 years.

Prosser's Deacons were not ranked in any of the preseason polls and were picked to finish as low as seventh in the ACC, but Prosser molded a rotation of seven freshmen and sophomores with All-American senior Josh Howard into one of college basketball's top teams in 2002-03.

Wake Forest led the nation in rebounding (+9.6 rebound margin), becoming the first ACC team to ever accomplish that feat. The Deacons were also ranked among the national leaders in field goal percentage defense, free throw percentage, scoring margin and winning percentage. With an NCAA at-large bid, Wake Forest advanced to postseason competition for an ACC-leading 13th consecutive year.

For his efforts, Prosser was named the ACC Coach of the Year. He was also named district coach of the year by the NABC and the USBWA, and he was a finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year.

In 2003-04, Wake Forest fielded one of the nation's youngest rosters (no scholarship seniors) and faced one of college basketball's most difficult schedules. Prosser helped guide the youth-laden team to 21 victories, a third-place finish in the ACC, an ACC-best 14th consecutive postseason appearance and berth in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.

Along the way, the Deacons rose to as high as No. 3 in the national polls and beat two teams ranked in the top five -- No. 3 Duke and No. 4 North Carolina. The win over North Carolina -- a 119-114 triple-overtime thriller in Chapel Hill to open the ACC season -- went down as one of the greatest ACC games in the 51-year history of the league.

The 2003-04 Deacons ranked third nationally in scoring offense and led the ACC in field goal percentage. Sophomore Justin Gray earned first team All-ACC honors and Chris Paul was named ACC Rookie of the Year.

* * * *

Prior to coming to Winston-Salem, Prosser enjoyed remarkable success at Xavier University from 1995-2001, compiling a 148-65 (.695) record in seven seasons.

Xavier earned a record of 71-35 (.669) in conference play during his tenure -- second only to Temple in the Atlantic 10. The Musketeers earned back-to-back Atlantic 10 West regular season crowns in 1997 and 1998. In his last five seasons at Xavier, the Musketeers beat crosstown rival Cincinnati four times. Two of those victories came against Bearcat teams ranked No. 1 in the nation.

At Xavier, 83 percent of Prosser's players graduated (100 percent of the seniors) -- one of the highest graduation rates in the country.

Prosser spent 15 years at Xavier, first as an assistant coach under Pete Gillen for eight seasons. After a one-year stint as head coach at Loyola (Md.) College, Prosser returned to Xavier as the head coach, replacing Gillen, who now coaches at Virginia. In Prosser's final season at Xavier in 2000-01, the Musketeers posted a 21-8 record with just one senior in the starting lineup, earning an NCAA Tournament bid.

The previous season, 1999-00, Xavier finished 21-12, securing its fourth straight 20-win season and its fifth 20-win season in six years under Prosser.

In 1997-98, XU earned an 11-5 mark in the Atlantic 10 and went on to capture the league's postseason tournament.

In 1996-97, Xavier won the first of two consecutive Atlantic 10 Conference West Division titles by going 13-3 in the league despite having no seniors among its top six players. For his efforts, Prosser was named the Basketball Times Mideast Coach of the Year and the NABC District 10 Coach of the Year.

In 1995-96, Xavier jumped from the MCC to the Atlantic 10 and many critics doubted the move. The Musketeers lost five of their top six players from the 1994-95 team, but managed to finish with an 8-8 Atlantic 10 regular season record. But Prosser's teams went on to silence those critics by going 57-23 in Atlantic 10 play from 1997-2001.

Prosser's first Xavier team in 1994-95 won the Midwestern Collegiate Conference regular season title with a perfect 14-0 mark (23-5 overall). Prosser was named the MCC Coach of the Year that season.

* * * *

Prior to taking over as head coach at Xavier, Prosser spent one season (1993-94) as the head coach at Loyola (Md.) College and enjoyed a true Cinderella season. He took over a squad that finished 2-25 the previous season. But Prosser led Loyola to a 17-13 mark in 1993-94, making the NCAA Tournament for the only time in that school's history. It marked the biggest turnaround in NCAA Division I basketball in 1994. The underdog Greyhounds won three MAAC Tournament games en route to winning the championship and capturing the automatic NCAA bid.

Before his stop at Loyola, Prosser spent eight years as the top assistant under Gillen. Prosser was a member of Gillen's first staff at Xavier in 1985. During Prosser's time as a Xavier assistant, the Musketeers compiled a record of 180-67, capturing five Midwestern Collegiate Conference Tournament championships and five MCC regular season titles while earning seven NCAA Tournament berths. Xavier advanced to at least the second round of the NCAA Tournament in four of seven appearances, including the Sweet 16 in 1990.

Xavier's recruiting efforts enjoyed great growth during Prosser's time as an assistant. Prosser spent his final six seasons as the recruiting coordinator in addition to being the top assistant. As an assistant coach, he concentrated his efforts on the guards including Byron Larkin, Stan Kimbrough, Jamal Walker, Michael Davenport, Jamie Gladden and Michael Hawkins, all of whom scored more than 1,000 career points.

Prosser came to Xavier as an assistant coach in 1985 after an illustrious coaching career on the high school level in Wheeling (WV). He took over as head coach at Central Catholic High School in Wheeling in 1979. His six-year ledger read 104-48, including a state AA championship in 1982. The 1982 team set a school record for victories, finishing 25-2.

His last team, in 1984-85, made it to the state finals. In all, Prosser guided the Maroon Knights to one state title (1982), five regional championships (1981-82-83-84-85) and three conference crowns (1982-83-85).

Dino Gaudio, an assistant at Xavier under Gillen from 1987-93 and currently a Wake Forest assistant, was Prosser's top assistant coach for four years at Central Catholic.

Prosser began his coaching career at Linsly Institute in Wheeling, spending time as the freshman coach (1972-76) and junior varsity coach (1976-77) before being promoted to head varsity coach (1977-79). Linsly compiled a record of 33-9 with Prosser as the varsity coach.

* * * *

Leaving Xavier and the city of Cincinnati was not easy. Wake Forest athletic director Ron Wellman searched nationwide for a new basketball coach and he sought the advice of some of basketball's top minds. Prosser's name continued to surface over and over again.

"When I started the process, I called the people who I thought knew the best college basketball coaches in the nation. They all said the same thing about Skip Prosser: 'If you can hire him, you better get him.' Not only is he a great basketball coach, but he's a great person.

"Skip Prosser knows the rules and he follows them. He doesn't push the rules as far as he can and see what he can get away with. He knows the rules and he follows them strictly. Secondly, he graduates his players. At Xavier, he graduated 83 percent of his players, which is one of the highest rates in the nation. He is committed to the academic process. Thirdly, he is a great representative of our university. And fourth, he wins. His record shows that he knows how to win basketball games.

"We are going to find that Skip Prosser is a great fit at Wake Forest University."

Prosser expects his players to attend class and graduate. He expects his players to be solid representatives of the University. On the court, he expects his players to work extremely hard and compete for championships.

"I won't make a lot of promises but I won't make excuses, either," Prosser said prior to his first season at Wake. "Our goal is to compete for championships every year. Our style will be to play very quickly. We expect to win every time we play and we expect to be the hardest-playing team on the court.

"I hate to lose to anybody. I'm not a good loser. I abhor the losses a lot more than I enjoy the wins."

Prosser expects his team to hold the same goals as the university.

"Wake Forest has the vision to be the best university it can be and to be one of the best in the country. The same is true with our basketball team. We want to be the best team we can be and we want to compete with the best teams in the country."

Prosser and Wake Forest appear to be a perfect fit.

"I've been through a lot of springs with calls and inquiries and invitations to visit other campuses," Prosser said upon his hiring. "Something about Wake Forest rang true for me."

On his visit to Wake Forest, Prosser liked the people, the area, the school's academic reputation and the intimate size. And then there was the prospect of coaching in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

"As the commercial says: The greatest risk is not taking one," Prosser said.

"I know how difficult it (the ACC) is, but the challenge is part of what excites me. We came here to play and coach against these teams. It's a daunting challenge but if the players are willing to come to Wake to win, then I am certainly not going to shy away from that challenge."

* * * *

A 1972 graduate of the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point (NY), with a degree in Nautical Science, Prosser played three years of basketball as a guard and one year of rugby as a collegian. He received his master's degree in secondary education from West Virginia University in 1980.

Prosser attended Carnegie (Pa.) High School, where he was a standout football and basketball player.

George Edward "Skip" Prosser, who was born on Nov. 3, 1950 in Pittsburgh (Pa.), is married to the former Nancy Franklin. He has two sons, Scott (26) and Mark (25). Mark played basketball at Marist College, and is in his second year as an assistant coach at Bucknell.

Prosser is the 19th head coach in Wake Forest history and just the fourth since 1972. Carl Tacy coached 13 seasons, from 1973-85. Bob Staak was the Deacon coach for four years, from 1986-89. Dave Odom took over in 1990 and coached 12 seasons before resigning to take the head coaching position at the University of South Carolina.

"Coaching isn't wins and losses," Prosser said. "It's teaching. That's the reason I got into coaching and the reason I've stayed in coaching.

"I hope that I remain in the business of education."