Feb. 26, 2002

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#24 Wake Forest (18-10/8-6) at Georgia Tech (13-15/5-9)

Game #29 / Feb. 27, 2002 Alexander Memorial Coliseum (9,191) Atlanta, GA

Tip-Off: 7:35 p.m.

Television: ESPN2. Brad Nessler (play-by-play) and Brad Daugherty (color analysis) call the action. Phil Dean produces and Ken Dennis directs.

Radio: The Deacon Radio Network, distributed by ISP. Stan Cotten (play-by-play) and Mark Freidinger (color analysis) call the action.

The Records: Wake Forest is 18-10 overall and 8-6 in the ACC after a 90-89 loss at No. 2-ranked Maryland Sunday afternoon. Georgia Tech is 13-15 and 5-9 after an 82-80 win at No. 22 Virginia Saturday.

The Rankings: Wake Forest is ranked 24th in the Associated Press poll and 22nd in the ESPN/USA Today last week. Georgia Tech is not ranked.

WFU Coach Skip Prosser: Prosser (U.S. Merchant Marine Academy '72) is 18-10 in his first season at Wake Forest. In nine years overall as a head coach, including one season at Loyola (MD) and seven seasons at Xavier, Prosser has a career record of 183-88.

Georgia Tech Coach Paul Hewitt: Hewitt (St. John Fisher '85) is 30-28 in two seasons with the Yellow Jackets, 96-55 in five seasons overall.

The Series History: Wake Forest leads, 26-24. More series information on page two.

The Officials: Announced on game day.

Deacons Play Final Road Game Wednesday At Georgia Tech

Wake Forest, battling for third place in the ACC standings and its most conference wins since 1997, travels to surging Georgia Tech Wednesday night (ESPN2/7:30 p.m.). The Demon Deacons, 18-10 overall and 8-6 in the ACC, suffered a heart-breaking 90-89 loss at No. 2 Maryland Sunday afternoon. Juan Dixon made a free throw with one second remaining after WFU called a time-out it didn't have, giving the Terrapins the win. All-ACC candidates Josh Howard and Darius Songaila were impressive in Sunday's loss. Howard, returning from a high ankle sprain injury, scored 18 points and grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds. Songaila scored 20 points and dished out a career-best six assists. Georgia Tech, 13-15 and 5-9, has won three straight games including a thrilling 82-80 win at No. 22 Virginia Saturday afternoon. Marvin Lewis' three-pointer with one second remaining secured the win for the Yellow Jackets. Tech, which has won six of its last eight games, can finish as high as fifth in the ACC. Wake Forest leads the all-time series, 26-24. The Deacons have won four of the last five meetings including an 87-74 win in Winston-Salem on Jan. 26. What's at stake for Wake Wednesday: - Wake Forest can secure at least a tie for third place in the ACC with a win, but regardless of Wednesday's outcome, Saturday's regular season finale against NC State will determine the ACC Tournament's No. 3 seed. - The Deacons, with a win, would finish .500 on the ACC road for the first time since 1997.

A Quick Look At The Deacons

Wake Forest is led by a pair of candidates for the All-ACC team -- senior forward Darius Songaila and junior forward Josh Howard -- and a supporting cast mix of seniors and freshmen. The Deacons, 18-10 overall and 8-6 in the ACC, are a veteran team with five seniors in the rotation. Three freshmen, including starting point guard Taron Downey, play significant roles. But the leaders are Songaila and Howard, who team to give Wake Forest one of the best frontcourt duos in college basketball. Howard returned to action Sunday after missing three of the previous four games with a high ankle sprain. Songaila (17.4 points and 8.0 rebounds per game) ranks among the ACC leaders in 10 statistical categories and he's been Wake's most consistent player. He has scored in double figures in every game but one this season and he owns 12 double-doubles. Howard (14.5 ppg. and 8.0 rpg.) did not play in recent games against Virginia and Duke, but returned to the court in grand fashion Sunday at No. 2 Maryland. He came off the bench for 18 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. Senior Craig Dawson (12.5 ppg.) has made a remarkable 23 three-point field goals over the last four games, including a 7-of-9 performance Sunday at Maryland. One of the nation's top perimeter shooters, Dawson scored 27 points against the Terrapins. Senior Antwan Scott (10.2 ppg. and 5.0 rpg.) ranks second in the ACC with 44 blocked shots and he shoots 54.7 percent from the field. Senior Broderick Hicks (9.2 ppg.) has scored in double figures in five of his last seven games. With Howard's injury, Hicks has seen most of his recent action at big guard. Freshman Taron Downey (4.4 ppg.), who has started the last nine games at point guard, hit a pair of three-pointers and scored eight points against Duke last Thursday. Junior transfer Steve Lepore (4.6 ppg.), who scored eight points at Maryland, has been a key reserve off the bench. Freshman Vytas Danelius (6.7 ppg. and 4.2 rpg.) recorded a double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) against Duke last week. Wake Forest has lost four of its last five games with three of the losses coming against teams ranked No. 6 or higher.

More From Wake's 90-89 Loss At No. 2 Maryland Sunday

Maryland's Juan Dixon hit a technical foul free throw with one second remaining Sunday to give the No. 2-ranked Terrapins a 90-89 win over Wake Forest in one of the year's most bizarre endings. Josh Howard's driving layup with 10 seconds left knotted the score at 89-89. Howard grabbed a missed Maryland shot with 1.3 seconds remaining, but he called a time-out that Wake did not have, forcing the technical foul. Howard, who was playing in just his second game since Feb. 6 because of a high ankle sprain, scored 18 points and grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds off the bench. Wake Forest led by as much as 12 points (58-46) early in the second half before Maryland mounted a comeback. The Terrapins finally tied the score, 68-68, with 10:51 remaining. Craig Dawson went 7-of-9 from three-point range en route to 27 points to lead the Deacons. Darius Songaila had 20 points, six rebounds and a career-high six assists. More from Sunday's loss at Maryland: - Maryland's 27 assists were the most by a Wake opponent this season. - Howard's 15 rebounds were the most by a Deacon this season. - Wake Forest's opponent shot better than 50 percent (.547) for the fourth time in the last five games. - The game was the next-to-last event in Maryland's Cole Field House, which was filled to capacity (14,500) on Sunday. - Wake Forest lost for the first time all season when leading with 5:00 remaining. - The Deacons fell to 3-1 in games decided by one point.

Wake-Georgia Tech Series History

- Wake Forest leads the all-time series, 26-24. - The Demon Deacons have won five of the last six meetings, including an 87-74 victory in Winston-Salem on Jan. 26. - Georgia Tech leads the series when playing in Atlanta, 16-7. - Wake has won eight of the last nine meetings in Lawrence Joel Coliseum and the Deacons are 10-3 against Tech all-time in Joel. - The home team has won 14 out of the last 17 meetings. - Georgia Tech won 12 straight meetings from 1985-91. - The two teams split regular season meetings last year. The Yellow Jackets beat Wake in Atlanta, 95-89 in overtime, and the Deacons beat Tech in Winston-Salem, 81-65. - The first meeting between the two teams came on Dec. 29, 1949 at the Dixie Classic in Raleigh. - Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser is 1-0 all-time versus Georgia Tech. - Tech coach Paul Hewitt is 1-2 all-time against Wake Forest.

Deacon-Yellow Jacket Connections

- Georgia Tech strength and conditioning coaches Ed Ellis and Scott Sinclair both previously worked at Wake Forest. - Deacon signee Chris Ellis hails from Marietta, GA. - John Pendergast, the public address announcer at Alexander Memorial Coliseum, is a Wake Forest graduate. His son, Tripp, is a freshman at Wake Forest and works in the media relations office. - Tech media relations staffers Chris Cappo and Jeremy Noel previously worked in the Deacons media relations office.

Deacon Numbers 17-0 when Wake Forest shoots a higher field goal percentage than its opponent. 11-0 when the Deacons shoot 50 percent or better from the field. 12-1 when Wake has more free throw attempts than the opponent. 6-2 in games decided by six points or less. 3-1 in games decided by one point. 13 consecutive games Darius Songaila has scored in double figures. 100 times in Songaila's four-year career he has scored in double figures. 283 consecutive games in which the Deacons have made at least one three-point field goal. 2-8 when the opponent shoots 50 percent or better. 6-10 when Wake Forest shoots less than 50 percent.

Two Of The ACC's Best Three-Point Shooters Meet Wednesday Night

Tech's Tony Akins (3.07 three-point field goals per game) and Wake's Craig Dawson (3.04) rank one-two in the ACC... Dawson (44.0 percent) and Akins (41.0 percent) rank one-two in the ACC in three-point field goal percentage... Tech (.382) leads the ACC in three-point percentage.

Wake's Schedule One Of The Nation's Most Difficult Slates

Wake Forest is facing one of the most difficult schedules in the nation. Consider: - No other team in the country can claim to have the nation's four highest-ranked teams on the schedule -- No. 1 Kansas, No. 2 Maryland, No. 3 Duke and No. 4 Cincinnati. - In all, five of the nine highest-ranked teams in the country, including No. 9 Marquette, are on the Deacon schedule. - Earlier this season Wake played three consecutive teams ranked in the top 10. - Wake Forest is coming off consecutive games against No. 3 Duke and No. 2 Maryland. - Wake Forest has played, or will play, 14 regular season games against teams currently ranked 54th or better in the RPI ratings. - The Deacons have played 11 nationally-ranked opponents this season. The only time in WFU history that the Deacons faced more nationally-ranked opponents in one season was 13 in 1994-95. - The Deacons are 3-8 against ranked teams this season. The last time Wake had more wins in one season against ranked teams came in 1996-97. - Seven of Wake's 10 losses have come against teams ranked in the top 10 and four of those have come on the road.

Deacons Remain In National Polls For The 14th Straight Week

Losses to No. 3 Duke and No. 2 Maryland caused Wake Forest to slip, but remain in both major polls for the 14th consecutive week. Wake dropped from 20th to 24th in the Associated Press poll and from 21st to 22nd in the ESPN/USA Today poll. The Deacons have been in the AP poll in 33 of the last 34 weeks. They have been ranked in both polls for 13 consecutive weeks. Wake Forest is 19th by Basketball America, 20th by CBS Sportsline, 23rd by College RPI.com, 26th in the Sagarin Ratings and 37th in the Sporting News. Wake Forest was not ranked in the preseason, but has been ranked as high as 14th by AP.

Deacons Putting Up The Points

When coach Skip Prosser arrived at Wake Forest, he promised an up-tempo game. And while the Deacons don't play at a breakneck speed, they are averaging a lofty 82.2 points per game. The last time Wake Forest averaged more than 82 points per game came in 1977-78 (83.2). Over the last five games Wake has averaged 90.0 points per contest and that includes a 61-point performance against Duke last Thursday. The Deacons rank third in the ACC and eighth nationally in scoring. Wake has gone over the 100-point mark twice this season. Prior to coach Skip Prosser's arrival, the Deacons scored 100 points just once between Feb. 10, 1993 and the end of the 2000-01 season -- a string of 267 games.

What Wake Forest Must Do To Finish Third In The ACC

A Wake Forest win at Georgia Tech on Wednesday would secure at least a share of third place in the ACC standings. The win would also look good to the NCAA Tournament selection committee and a win would mean a .500 record on the ACC road. Wednesday's game, however, will have no bearing on Wake's seeding at the March 7-10 ACC Tournament in Charlotte. The winner of Saturday's game versus NC State will earn the No. 3 seed and the loser will be the No. 4 seed. Even if Wake Forest beats Georgia Tech Wednesday, then loses to NC State Saturday, the Wolfpack would hold the tie-breaker. However, even if Wake loses to Tech but beats NC State, the Deacons would hold the tie-breaker with the Wolfpack for the No. 3 seed.

Deacs Approach Impressive Marks

- Wake Forest, 8-6 in the ACC, has already matched its conference win total from last season and the Deacons have surpassed their ACC win total from 1998, 1999 and 2000 when they went 7-9 three consecutive years. - Wake Forest's 8-6 record through 14 ACC games is its best start in league play since starting 10-4 in 1996-97 (Tim Duncan's senior year). The Deacs, in fact, have been at or below .500 after 14 ACC games in each of the four previous seasons. - Wake, 3-4 on the ACC road, have already matched the total produced in each of the previous two seasons. The last time WFU finished .500 or better on the ACC road came in 1996-97 when it went 6-2. - Wake Forest is guaranteed its 12th consecutive winning season. - Wake Forest has secured a top-five finish in the ACC for the 10th consecutive year -- the longest current streak in the ACC. - The Deacons appear to be a lock for their 12th consecutive postseason bid. - Wake will be seeded either third or fourth in next week's ACC Tournament, depending on the outcome of Saturday's game against NC State. The Deacons were last seeded as high as fourth in 1999. Wake hasn't been seeded as high as third since earning the No. 2 seed in 1997.

Skip Prosser Already In Select ACC Coaching Fraternity

Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser has an 8-6 record in his first ACC season. Only three first-year coaches in the 49-year history of the league have won more ACC games in their rookie season. North Carolina's Matt Doherty (2001) and Bill Guthridge (1998) share the record for most wins by a first-year ACC coach with 13. NC State's Press Maravich, in 1965, earned a 10-3 record. More on Prosser's first season at Wake Forest: - Prosser has accomplished what no other first-year coach in Deacon history has done since 1927 -- produce a winning season. Prosser is the first rookie coach at Wake Forest to earn a winning record since James Baldwin led the Deacons to a 22-3 record in his first season in 1927. Prosser, in fact, has already earned more wins in his initial season than any other first-year Deacon coach, with the exception of Baldwin. - Prosser is the first rookie WFU coach ever to win on the road against UNC and NC State in the same season. - Prosser's Deacons have remained in the national polls for 14 consecutive weeks.

Senior Darius Songaila Enjoying An All-ACC-Type Season

Perhaps senior Darius Songaila is motivated because he was left off the preseason All-ACC team, or maybe he's flourishing in coach Skip Prosser's system. Regardless, Songaila is enjoying his finest season as a Deacon. Songaila ranks among the ACC leaders in 10 different statistical categories. More on Songaila: - Over his last five games, Songaila has averaged 23.6 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 94.3 percent (33-of-35) from the free throw line and 53.6 percent from the field. - He leads the team and ranks sixth in the ACC in scoring (17.4 points per game). - Songaila has scored in double figures in every game but one this season and he has scored in double figures 100 times in his career. - He ranks third in the ACC in free throw percentage (.866). In ACC games only, he ranks first at 91.3 percent. - His career free throw percentage (.833) is the sixth-highest in Wake Forest history. - Songaila leads the team and ranks seventh in the ACC in rebounding (8.0 rpg.). - He ranks eighth in Wake Forest history with 760 career rebounds. - He ranks eighth in Wake history with 93 career blocked shots. - He ranks 14th in the ACC in blocked shots (0.86). - Songaila has 12 double-doubles this season. Only Virginia's Travis Watson (16) has as many in the ACC. Only five different players in WFU history had more single-season double-doubles. - Songaila owns 21 career double-doubles, which ranks fifth in school history. - He ranks fourth in the ACC in field goal percentage (.523). - He ranks 11th in Wake Forest career scoring history with 1,740 points. - Songaila is just the sixth player in Wake Forest history to accumulate 1,500 points and 700 boards. - Only four players in school history have made more free throws than Songaila (544) and only five players have attempted more free throws (653). - He has scored 20 or more points in a game 20 times, including 10 times this season and six times in his last eight games. - In ACC games, Songaila ranks ninth in the league in assists (3.07) and 15th in steals (1.29). - Songaila was named to the Preseason NIT All-Tournament team after his performances against Fresno State and Syracuse.

Songaila's Last Eight Games Opponent PTS REB FT-A AST ST at Maryland 20 6 6-6 6 1 vs. Duke 12 4 6-7 2 1 vs. Virginia 30 11 8-8 2 0 at Clemson 24 7 4-4 4 1 vs. Cincinnati 22 12 9-10 1 1 vs. North Carolina 10 8 2-2 3 3 at Florida State 20 10 8-9 2 2 at NC State 20 9 6-6 0 0

Songaila Gaining Reputation As Clutch Performer

Senior Darius Songaila is the type of player who wants the ball in his hands at crunch time. And almost each time, the results have been great for Wake Forest: - Songaila hit a lay-up with 2.7 seconds remaining to lift Wake Forest to a 79-78 win over UNC-Wilmington in the season opener. - Nov. 21 against Fresno State, Songaila's follow tip with 1.7 seconds left gave the Deacons a 62-61 win over the Bulldogs in the semifinals of the Preseason NIT at Madison Square Garden. - Songaila's two free throws with 3:37 remaining broke a 57-57 tie with 19th-ranked Marquette on Dec. 29. The Deacons led the rest of the way en route to a 64-59 win over the Golden Eagles. - In Wake's 82-81 win at NC State Jan. 30, Songaila hit two free throws with 1:35 left.

All-ACC Candidate Josh Howard Returns In Grand Fashion

Junior Josh Howard returned to action last Sunday at Maryland and the All-ACC candidate showed no signs of rust. Howard, who had 18 points and a career-high 15 rebounds against the No. 2 Terrapins, had missed three of his previous four games with a high ankle sprain. When healthy, as he appeared to be Sunday, Howard is one of the league's best and most versatile players. At 6-6, Howard ranks second in the ACC in offensive rebounds and he ranks among the ACC leaders in eight statistical categories. More on Howard: - Howard played 18 injury-filled minutes Feb. 13 against Clemson. Throw out that game and Howard has averaged 19.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 3.5 steals over his last five healthy games. - He ranks 13th in the ACC in scoring (14.5) and he averages nearly 16 points per game (15.9) in ACC games. - Howard leads the team and ranks sixth in the ACC in rebounding (8.0). - Eighty-nine of his 200 rebounds have come on the offensive boards. - He ranks fifth in the ACC in field goal percentage (.514). - Only eight players in the ACC have more double-doubles this season than Howard (five). - Just a junior, Howard has already scored 1,090 career points to rank 33rd in WFU history. - He ranks eighth in the ACC in steals (1.68). - His seven steals against Georgia Tech on Jan. 26 were one shy of tying Muggsy Bogues' single-game record. - Howard ranks seventh among Wake's all-time leaders in steals with 144. - Howard ranks 10th in the ACC in blocked shots (1.00 bspg.). - He ranks among Wake's all-time leaders in blocked shots (90).

Howard's Last Five Injury-Free Games Opponent PTS REB AST BS ST at Maryland 18 *15 1 1 2 vs. North Carolina 24 2 3 2 2 at Florida State 15 9 5 0 1 at NC State 21 9 5 1 2 vs. Georgia Tech 20 9 5 2 *7 * Career High

Three 1,000-Point Scorers On The Same Deacon Team

Wake Forest has three players on its roster -- Darius Songaila (1,740 career points), Craig Dawson (1,272 points) and Josh Howard (1,090 points) -- who have all reached the 1,000-point mark in their respective careers. The last time Wake had three 1,000-point scorers on the same team came in 1991-92 with Chris King, Rodney Rogers and Anthony Tucker. In all, it has happened just five times in Wake Forest history. The 1981-82 team had four 1,000-point scorers -- Alvis Rogers, Mike Helms, Guy Morgan and Jim Johnstone.

Hicks Likely To Break All-Time Games Played Record

Barring injury, senior Broderick Hicks should graduate as Wake Forest's all-time leader in games played. Hicks is fourth on that list with 125 games played. Hicks will tie Josh Shoemaker for third place Wednesday night. Wake Forest has two regular season games remaining. If the Deacs play a minimum of one ACC Tournament game and one other postseason tournament game, he will own the all-time record held by Tim Duncan (128 games). Darius Songaila (124 games played) is one game behind Hicks. Antwan Scott (123 games played) and Craig Dawson (122) are in pursuit as well.

Craig Dawson Shows Why He's One Of The ACC's Top Distance Shooters

As senior Craig Dawson's career winds down, he is finally beginning to gain notice as one of the nation's premier three-point shooters. Consider that over his last four games Dawson has made 23 three-point field goals. That's more than all but two of his teammates have made all season. And it also includes the Feb. 21 Duke game when he was shutout from behind the arc for the only time this season. Take a look at what Dawson is accomplishing this season: - On Feb. 13 at Clemson, Dawson tied an ACC single-game record and broke the Wake school record by making 11 three-point field goals (on 17 attempts). He scored 10 of his career-high 38 points in the final 1:02 of regulation. - Last Sunday at Maryland, Dawson was 7-of-9 from three-point range en route to 27 points. - Over his last four games, Dawson has averaged 22.3 points and 5.8 three-point field goals per game. - With 85 three-point field goals this season, only Randolph Childress owns more single-season three-pointers in WFU history. With 11 more threes this season, he will tie the single-season record of 96 held by Childress. - He ranks fourth in Wake Forest history and 13th in ACC history with 240 career three-point field goals. - He leads the ACC in three-point field goal percentage (.440). Dawson is vying to become the first Deacon to lead the ACC in three-point field goal percentage since Ricky Peral in 1996. - Dawson ranks third in the ACC for three-point field goals per game (3.04). He could become the first Deacon to lead the ACC in three-point field goals since Randolph Childress in 1994. - His career three-point field goal percentage (.396) is the sixth-highest in WFU history. - He has made at least one three-point field goal in every game but one this season and he has made at least two three-pointers in 20 of 28 games. - Dawson has made three or more three-pointers in a game 13 times this season, 33 times in his career. - Dawson ranks 17th in the ACC in scoring (12.5 ppg.). - He ranks 22nd in Wake Forest career scoring history with 1,272 points. - Dawson's assist-to-turnover ratio (70 assists, 34 turnovers) is the best on the team.

Antwan Scott One Of The ACC's Most Improved Players

Senior Antwan Scott, in his first year as a starter, is making the most of his final season. He ranks third in the ACC in blocked shots and he ranks among Wake's all-time blocks leaders. More on Scott: - Scott ranks second on the team in minutes played (28.7). - His field goal percentage (.547) would be the third-highest in the ACC, but he does not have the minimum number of field goals made to qualify. - He ranks 26th in the ACC in scoring (10.2 ppg.) and 18th in rebounding (5.0 rpg.). - Scott ranks fifth on Wake Forest's all-time blocked shots list with 137 career rejections. - Scott has more dunks this season (51) than the rest of the Deacon team combined (41).

Freshman Taron Downey Settles Into Starting Point Guard Role

In November and December, freshman guard Taron Downey was a solid reserve in the Deacon backcourt. But since Jan. 1, the rookie point guard has emerged as one of the ACC's top freshmen. More on Downey: - In November and December, Downey played an average of just 6.8 minutes per game. But since Jan. 1, the rookie southpaw has played 23.2 minutes per contest. - Until late January, Downey had never dished out more than three assists in a game. Over his last three games he has averaged four assists per contest. - In the Feb.13 game at Clemson, Downey's clutch three-pointer with one second remaining sent the game into overtime. He finished the game with 13 points, including 3-of-4 from three-point range, four rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes. - Jan. 7 at Navy, he came off the bench for a career-high 15 points, including three three-point field goals.

Taron Downey Category First 12 Games Last 14 Games Minutes Per Game 6.8 25.1 Points Per Game 1.7 7.3 Three-Point Field Goals 0.3 1.3 Rebounds 0.5 1.6 Assists 0.7 2.4 Total Steals 2 8

Cotten Wins Broadcasting Honor

Congratulations are in order to Stan Cotten, the play-by-play voice for Wake Forest sports. Cotten was named the North Carolina Sportscaster of the Year recently by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.

Vytas Danelius Emerging As One Of The ACC's Top Freshmen

Freshman forward Vytas Danelius, who was a highly-touted recruit last year, has many skills. But the rookie's best talent is simply putting the ball in the basket. Danelius is shooting a team-best 57.9 percent from the field. More impressively, Danelius has shot less than 50 percent in a game just four times in 28 games. More on the Lithuanian rookie: - He played a career-high 27 minutes Sunday at No. 2 Maryland. He scored six points, grabbed four rebounds and had one steal. - He has scored in double figures in two of his last three games. - Danelius had his second career double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) versus Duke last Thursday. - Jan. 12 against Clemson, he recorded his first career double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds. - Last Sunday against 15th-ranked Virginia, Danelius made his first career start and responded with 13 points and eight rebounds. - After shooting 60.9 percent from the free throw line the first half of the season, he has shot 82.5 percent from the stripe the second half of the season.

Prosser A Finalist For Naismith National Coach Of The Year

Skip Prosser, in his first season as the Wake Forest head coach, is one of 20 finalists for the prestigious Naismith College Coach of the Year award. The announcement was made in Atlanta, home of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. Prosser is one of four ACC coaches on the list of finalist. He joins Virginia's Pete Gillen, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and Maryland's Gary Williams. The award will be presented April 5.

The Skip Prosser Era In Full Swing At Wake Forest

Skip Prosser, who previously served as the head coach at Loyola (MD) and Xavier, is in his first season at Wake Forest. His record at Wake Forest is 18-10. His career record, in nine seasons, is 183-88. Prosser comes to Winston-Salem after serving seven seasons as the head coach at Xavier, where he compiled a record of 148-65 (.695) and led the Musketeers to six postseason appearances. A 1972 graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Prosser's teams won 20 games or more six times in seven years at Xavier. He has the 18th-highest winning percentage among active Division I coaches and he helped Xavier earn one of the nation's highest graduation rates. Joining Prosser on the coaching staff are former Xavier assistants Jeff Battle and Dino Gaudio and former Musketeer players Chris Mack (assistant coach) and Pat Kelsey (director of basketball operations).

Winningest Active Division I Coaches Rk. Coach, Current School Pct. 1. Jerry Tarkanian, Fresno State .802 2. John Kresse, Charleston .801 3. Roy Williams, Kansas .800 4. Rick Majerus, Utah .742 4. Jim Boeheim, Syracuse .742 6. Rick Pitino, Louisville .739 7. Lute Olson, Arizona .738 8. Tom Izzo, Michigan State .736 8. Bob Huggins, Cincinnati .736 10. John Chaney, Temple .734 11. Mike Krzyzewski, Duke .731 12. Nolan Richardson, Arkansas .721 13. Eddie Sutton, Oklahoma State .716 14. John Calipari, Memphis .712 15. Tubby Smith, Kentucky .711 16. Jim Calhoun, Connecticut .682 17. Mike Montgomery, Stanford .680 18. Skip Prosser, Wake Forest .679 19. Larry Eustachy, Iowa State .673 20. Billy Tubbs, TCU .672 *Entering the 2001-02 season

Prosser Has Two Wins Vs. No. 1

Wake Forest's Skip Prosser has coached against the nation's No. 1-ranked team four times and he has come away a winner twice. Prosser's Xavier teams beat No. 1 Cincinnati in 1999-00 and in 1996-97. His only losses to a No. 1-ranked team was an overtime decision to No. 1 Massachusetts in 1995-96 and the loss at No. 1 Duke on Jan. 19. Prosser, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and Maryland's Gary Williams are the only current Atlantic Coast Conference coaches to own more than one victory against a No. 1-ranked team.