Wake Forest Athletics
Deacon Basketball Notes
10/27/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Oct. 27, 2001
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The Skip Prosser Era Begins At Wake Forest
Skip Prosser, who has compiled a 165-78 record in eight seasons as a head coach, takes over at Wake Forest this season. 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 will be former Xavier assistants Jeff Battle and Dino Gaudio and former Musketeer players Chris Mack (assistant coach) and Pat Kelsey (director of basketball operations).
Experience On Deacons' Side As Five Veteran Seniors Return
Five fourth-year seniors who have played key roles for Wake Forest the previous three seasons, are back in the fold in 2001-02. Combined, those five seniors have played in a combined 475 games. The five seniors: shooting guard Craig Dawson, point guard Broderick Hicks, guard Ervin Murray and forwards Antwan Scott and Darius Songaila. An honorable mention All-ACC selection last season, Songaila will leave Wake ranked among the all-time leaders in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots.
Craig Dawson Erupts In Black/Gold Intrasquad Scrimmage
Senior Craig Dawson turned Wake Forest's Black/Gold intrasquad scrimmage game into his own person highlight film Saturday afternoon at Reynolds Gym. Dawson sank his first 11 field goal attempts, including a remarkable nine consecutive from three-point range, en route to 43 points. The scrimmage was an abbreviated one with a normal 20-minute first half, followed by a 10-minute second half in front of a full house at Reynolds Gym. For the record, the Gold won the first half, 71-43, and the second half, 21-13, although players randomly changed sides throughout the game. "We accomplished what we set out to accomplish," first-year coach Skip Prosser said. "We wanted to get up and down a little bit in front of a crowd and that's what we did. We were ragged at times, as you would expect in your first exhibition game." All totalled, Dawson was 16-of-21 from the floor and 11-of-14 from three-point range. He also added four assists. "It's been a long time since I had a shooting night like that," Dawson said. "Maybe since high school. Coach (Prosser) expected us to come out and play hard and I thought we did that. However, we're a long way from where we need to be." Senior Darius Songaila contributed 21 points and eight rebounds. Junior Josh Howard had 14 points and 10 rebounds. Broderick Hicks dished out eight assists and recorded seven steals without committing a turnover. Freshman Taron Downey chipped in 17 points.
Hicks, Songaila Elected Co-Captains
Seniors Broderick Hicks and Darius Songaila were elected co-captains of the Wake Forest basketball team head coach Skip Prosser announced Thursday. Hicks and Songaila were voted to the honor by their teammates. In each of the previous two seasons, Wake Forest did not designate captains, using only game captains. Joseph Amonett, in 1998-99, was the last Deacon to be named team captain.
Redshirt Freshman Dshamal Schoetz Will Miss 2001-02 Season
Wake Forest redshirt freshman center Dshamal Schoetz will sit out the 2001-02 season after tearing the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his right knee, Deacon head coach Skip Prosser announced earlier this week. Schoetz, 7-0, injured the knee during the Oct. 19 practice session at the Kenneth D. Miller Center. The injury was confirmed by an MRI examination. Dr. Walt Curl, director of sports medicine, will peform surgery on Schoetz Nov. 2. Expected recovery time is 9-12 months. A native of Cottbus, Germany, Schoetz redshirted last season. He came to Wake Forest after playing two seasons on the high school level at High Point Wesleyan Academy. "I feel horrible for Dshamal," Prosser said. "Of course he sat out all of last season and he had worked hard to prepare himself for this season."
Deacons Add Three Walk-Ons
Wake Forest head coach Skip Prosser opened up try-outs to the student body last week and officially named three non-scholarship walk-ons to the roster earlier this week. The three new Deacons include sophomore guard Alan Williams (6-3), a Memphis (TN) native who played sparingly last season. Williams saw action in 10 games last year, averaging 0.8 points and 0.6 rebounds per game. Also added to the roster were 6-6 senior Brett Hickman of Rock Hill (SC) and 6-1 guard Walt Chancellor of Houston (TX). Williams, Hickman and Chancellor give the Deacons 14 healthy bodies. Redshirt freshman Dshamal Schoetz suffered a season-ending knee injury last week. The three newcomers have not yet been assigned jersey numbers.
Howard, Lepore Star In Midnight Madness Scrimmage
Junior forward Josh Howard scored eight points and grabbed five rebounds to lead the Black team over the Gold team, 28-23, in a short 12-minute scrimmage at Reynolds Gym Oct. 14. The scrimmage climaxed a night of Midnight Madness festivities in Reynolds. A standing room only crowd watched an evening of three-point and dunk contests before the Demon Deacons took the court at midnight. Junior guard Steve Lepore, an eligible transfer from Northwestern, led all scorers with 12 points. Lepore was 4-of-6 from three-point range and single-handedly kept the Gold team in the game. Howard led a group of balanced scoring on the Black team. Senior Craig Dawson went 3-of-3 from the field for seven points, senior Antwan Scott scored six points including a pair of dunks and senior guard Broderick Hicks had five points and three assists.
Deacons Play First Exhibition Game Friday Night Vs. Nike Elite
Wake Forest will play the first of two preseason exhibition games Friday night (7 p.m./no TV) against Nike Elite in Lawrence Joel Coliseum. Nike Elite is coached by former Michigan and Arizona State head coach Bill Frieder. The team is made up of former college standouts, including Tremain Wingfield (Texas), Kelly Newton (Oklahoma), Kerry Hartfield (DePaul), Rob Dryden (Georgia) and Darnell Hoskins (Dayton). Nike Elite will play its first game against Division I college teams Thursday night at Virginia Tech. After playing at Wake Forest Friday, Elite plays at Florida State (Nov. 4), Kentucky (Nov. 6), Georgia Tech (Nov. 8), North Carolina (Nov. 10), Maryland (Nov. 13) and Duke (Nov. 15). The Deacons wrap up exhibition play Nov. 7 against the Lithuanian All-Stars. Wake's first regular season game is Nov. 12 against UNC-Wilmington in the Preseason NIT.
