Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest Travels South To Take On Florida State
1/31/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 31, 2002
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#24 Wake Forest (15-6/5-3) at Florida State (10-9/3-5)
Game #22 / Feb. 2, 2002 Leon County Civic Center (12,200) Tallahassee, FL
Tip-Off: 3:09 p.m.
Television: Jefferson Pilot. Tim Brandt (play-by-play) and Dan Bonner (color analysis) call the action. Beverly Rumley produces.
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 15-6 overall and 5-3 in the ACC after an 82-81 win at NC State Wednesday night. Florida State is 10-9 and 3-5 following a 77-46 loss at Georgia Tech Wednesday night.
The Rankings: Wake Forest is ranked 24th in the Associated Press poll and 19th in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Florida State is not ranked.
WFU Coach Skip Prosser: Prosser (U.S. Merchant Marine Academy '72) is 15-6 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 180-84.
Florida State Coach Steve Robinson: Robinson (Radford '81) is 62-76 in five seasons with the Seminoles, 108-96 in seven seasons overall.
The Series History: Wake Forest leads, 13-11. More series information on page two.
The Officials: Announced on game day.
Deacons Begins Second Half Of ACC Play Saturday At Florida St.
Wake Forest, now 6-0 in games decided by six points or less after Wednesday's 82-81 win at NC State, travels to improving Florida State Saturday afternoon (3:09 p.m./Jefferson Pilot TV). The Demon Deacons, 15-6 overall and 5-3 in the ACC, received 41 points and 18 rebounds from the duo of Josh Howard and Darius Songaila Wednesday night in Wake's thrilling 82-81 win at NC State. Howard, who has 41 points over the last two games, tied a season-high with 21 points and added nine rebounds against the Wolfpack. Songaila scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half. Florida State, 10-9 and 3-5, fell to Georgia Tech, 77-46, Wednesday night in Atlanta. The Seminoles are 9-2 at the Leon County Civic Center, including an upset of No. 1-ranked Duke earlier this season. Wake Forest has won the last three meetings, including a 93-72 win over the Seminoles on Dec. 16, to take a 13-11 lead in the series. What's at stake for Wake Saturday: - A Wake Forest win would keep the Deacons in third place in the ACC race, while a loss could send them down to fifth place. - The Deacons are looking to win for the sixth time in their last eight ACC road games dating back to last season. Wake Forest is 4-4 on the road overall this season. - A Wake victory would give Wake Forest four straight wins over Florida State for the first time in the history of the series.
A Quick Look At The Deacons
Wake Forest is a veteran team with four seniors playing prominent roles and a junior (Josh Howard) emerging as one of the ACC's best players. The Demon Deacons, 15-6 overall and 5-3 in the ACC, have won two straight games after losing three consecutive games to teams ranked in the top 10. Wake is averaging nearly 80 points per game (79.6) and is out-rebounding teams by nearly five boards per contest. Wake Forest is led by a pair of All-ACC candidates -- senior Darius Songaila and junior Josh Howard. Songaila (16.7 points and 7.9 rebounds per game) ranks among the ACC leaders in 10 statistical categories and he narrowly missed his fourth straight double-double Wednesday at NC State (20 points, 9 rebounds). Howard (14.5 ppg. and 8.0 rpg.) is coming off two of his best performances. Over the last two games combined, Howard has 41 points, 18 rebounds, 10 assists, nine steals and three blocked shots. Senior Craig Dawson (11.0 ppg.) ranks fifth in the ACC in three-point field goals made (56) and third in three-point percentage (.412). Senior Antwan Scott (10.4 ppg. and 4.9 rpg.) ranks second in the ACC in blocked shots (1.76 bspg.) and shoots 53.5 percent. Freshman Taron Downey (3.4 ppg.) has started the last two games at point guard in favor of senior Broderick Hicks (8.0 ppg.). Hicks, however, played more minutes (22, compared to Downey's 18) Wednesday at NC State. Freshman Vytas Danelius (6.7 ppg. and 4.0 rpg.) has been valuable off the bench. With Songaila in foul trouble Wednesday, Danelius played 21 minutes and scored 13 points. Junior transfer Steve Lepore (4.6 ppg.) scored eight points, including a pair of three-point field goals at NC State.
More From Wake's 82-81 Win At NC State Wednesday Night
Wake Forest overcame an 11-point first-half deficit, then nearly blew a 13-point second-half lead and held on for an 82-81 win at NC State Wednesday night. Josh Howard hit two free throws with eight seconds remaining to help seal Wake's fifth straight win over the Wolfpack. Howard led the Deacons with 21 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Darius Songaila added 20 points and nine rebounds, despite playing just five minutes in the first half because of foul trouble. Freshman Vytas Danelius came off the bench for 13 points. The Deacons shot 53.1 percent from the field, 85.7 percent (24-of-28) from the free throw line and out-rebounded the Wolfpack, 32-28. More from Wednesday's win at NC State: - Wake Forest had a season-low five offensive rebounds and tied a season-low with 49 field goal attempts. - Songaila scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half. - Songaila was a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line.
Wake-Florida State Series History
- Wake Forest leads the series, 13-11. - The Deacons have won the last three meetings, including a 93-72 win in Winston-Salem on Dec. 16. - Wake swept the regular season series from the Seminoles last season for the first time since 1995-96. - The Deacons are 3-7 all-time against Florida State when playing in Tallahassee. - Wake Forest is 9-3 when playing at home against Florida State including an 8-3 mark in Lawrence Joel Coliseum. - The Deacons and Seminoles met just twice (in 1958-59 and 1973-74) before Florida State joined the ACC in 1991-92. - Six of the last eight meetings have been decided by six points or less. - Wake's Skip Prosser is 1-0 all-time against Florida State. - Florida State's Steve Robinson is 4-5 all-time versus Wake Forest.
Wake Forest-FSU Connections
- Florida State has three North Carolinians -- Michael Joiner (Fayetteville), Ryan Lowery (Gastonia) and Anthony Richardson (Raleigh) -- on its roster. - Wake Forest associate media relations director Joanna Sparkman is a Florida State graduate. - Senior guard Craig Dawson's uncle, Tony Dawson, played at Florida State.
Deacon Streaks
- The Deacons have won five of their last seven ACC road games. - Wake Forest saw its nine-game homecourt winning streak come to an end last Jan. 23 against No. 3 Maryland. - Wake Forest has won 23 consecutive non-conference home games. Wake's last non-conference loss at home came against 19th-ranked Arkansas on Dec. 23, 1998. - Wake Forest has made at least one three-point field goal in 276 consecutive games. - The Deacons are 6-0 this season in games decided by six points or less. - Wake Forest is 10-0 when scoring more than 80 points. - WFU is 14-0 this season when shooting a higher field goal percentage than its opponent. - The Deacons are 8-0 when shooting 50 percent or better. - Wake Forest is 5-0 when it shoots 40 percent or better from three-point range. - WFU is 9-0 when it has more free throw attempts than its opponent. - Craig Dawson has made at least one three-point field goal in every game this season. Throw out the Maryland game in last year's ACC Tournament when Dawson played just one minute before getting injured, he has made at least one three-pointer in 31 straight games.
Darius Songaila Scores 1,600th Point, Grabs 700th Rebound
Darius Songaila joined elite company Wednesday night when he scored his 1,600th point and grabbed his 700th career rebound. He is just the sixth player in WFU history to reach both of those marks, joining Len Chappell, Dickie Hemric, Tim Duncan, Rod Griffin and Rodney Rogers. In the process, Songaila moved up to 13th place on Wake Forest's all-time career scoring list and to 12th place on the all-time rebounds list. He will jump up to 10th place on the rebounds list with four more rebounds. His milestones didn't stop there. He became just the sixth player in school history to make 500 career free throws, he became the sixth player to start 107 career games and he is the 12th Deacon to play in 117 career games.
Howard Reaches Milestones, Too
Junior Josh Howard recorded his 500th career rebound Wednesday night. He moved into a tie for 26th place on Wake's all-time career rebounds list and up to 39th on the all-time career scoring chart.
Other Milestones Within Reach
- Darius Songaila (702 career rebounds) can move into 10th place on Wake's all-time career rebounds chart with just four rebounds. He would pass Guy Morgan and Rodney Rogers in the process. - Songaila should start for the 108th time Saturday, which means only Tim Duncan (127 starts) and Frank Johnson (116) have started more games at Wake Forest. - Songaila is five assists shy of 200 for his career. - Josh Howard (1,031 career points) can leap up Wake's all-time scoring chart. He needs just nine points to move from 39th place to 36th place and he needs 13 points to move into 35th place. - Howard (508 career rebounds) can move into 25th place on Wake's all-time rebounds chart with seven boards. - Howard (87 career blocked shots) can move into ninth place on the all-time blocks chart with three rejections. - Craig Dawson (210 career three-point field goals) needs one three-point field goal to move into 19th place in ACC history for career three-pointers. - Dawson (1,153 career points) needs 13 points to pass Mike Helms for 28th place and he needs 18 points to pass Danny Young for 27th place on Wake's all-time scoring chart. - Broderick Hicks needs six three-point field goals to become the ninth player in WFU history to sink 100 career three-pointers.
Wake's 5-3 Mark At ACC Halfway Point Its Best Since 1996-97
With an 82-81 win at NC State Wednesday, Wake Forest concluded the first half of the ACC schedule with a 5-3 record. That's Wake's best ACC mark through eight games since going 7-1 in 1996-97. The bad news, historically speaking, is that the 1996-97 team ultimately went 4-4 the second half of the season and finished in a tie for second place. The good news is that the last time Wake was 5-3 at the halfway point -- in 1994-95 -- the Deacons went 7-1 the rest of the way and tied for first place. In addition, since the ACC began its 16-game league schedule in 1991-92, Wake Forest has gone on to the NCAA Tournament every year that it had a 4-4 record or better midway through the ACC schedule. Wake Forest is hoping to keep a pair of consistency streaks alive. The Deacons can finish fifth or higher in the ACC standings for the 10th straight year and they can earn their 12th consecutive postseason bid.
Deacons Complete January With Their Best Mark Since 1996-97
Wake Forest completed the month of January with a 6-3 record and with all three losses coming to teams ranked in the top 10. The last time the Deacons enjoyed a winning record during January came in 1996-97 -- Tim Duncan's senior year. Junior Josh Howard enjoyed the month of January more than any Deacon. He led the team in scoring (16.4 ppg.), assists (29) and steals (19) and also averaged 8.3 rebounds per contest. Senior Darius Songaila averaged 15.3 points and a team-best 8.8 rebounds per game and he shot 87.7 percent from the line. For what it's worth, Wake Forest hasn't finished above .500 in the month of February since 1998-99.
Deacons Slip, But Remain In Both Polls For 10th Straight Week
A loss to No. 3 Maryland and a win over Georgia Tech last week caused Wake Forest to drop, but remain in both major polls for the 10th consecutive week. Wake Forest slipped to 24th (down from 21st) in the Associated Press poll and to 19th (down from 16th) in the ESPN/USA Today poll. The Deacons have been in the AP poll in 29 of the last 30 weeks. Wake Forest is ranked 17th by Basketball America, 17th by CollegeRPI.com, 21st in the Sagarin Ratings and 34th by The Sporting News. The Deacons fell out of the CBS Sportsline power poll.
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: - The Deacons recently completed a three-game stretch against teams ranked in the top 10. The last time Wake played three straight ranked opponents came in 1994-95. The last time the Deacs played three straight top 10 teams came in 1985-86. - Each of the nation's five-highest ranked teams (ESPN/USA Today poll) are on the Wake Forest schedule -- No. 1 Duke, No. 2 Kansas, No. 3 Maryland, No. 4 Cincinnati and No. 5 Virginia. Wake Forest has already played four of those teams and will play the fifth, Cincinnati, Feb. 9. Wake Forest is the only team that has played four of the five teams ranked in the top five. - Wake Forest has played, or will play, 14 regular season games against teams currently ranked 35th or better in the RPI ratings. - Wake is 2-5 this season against ranked teams. Last season the Deacons won two games against ranked teams all year. Another win over a ranked team would give the Deacons their most wins over ranked teams since 1996-97. - Four of Wake's five losses against ranked teams this season have come on the road or at a neutral court. Three of Wake's losses have come on the road against top 10 teams (No. 4 Kansas, No. 10 Virginia and No. 1 Duke). - The Deacons hope to beat a ranked team on the road for the first time since beating No. 21 Clemson on Jan. 9, 1999 when they play at Maryland Feb. 24. Wake may look for its first win on the road against a top 10 team since beating four teams in the top 10 in 1996-97. - Seven of Wake's final 14 games come against teams currently ranked in the AP top 25. - Wake's schedule, according to College RPI.com, is the most difficult in the ACC. - In November and December, Wake Forest played four nationally-ranked teams. The last time the Deacs played four ranked opponents before Jan. 1 came in the 1953-54 season. - Wake's last non-conference game -- Feb. 9 versus No. 4 Cincinnati -- comes against a Bearcat team that owns the nation's longest winning streak (20 games).
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.
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. Not that Danelius is a huge scorer -- he's averaging 6.7 points per game and he has scored in double figures just five times. But when Danelius shoots, it usually goes in. Danelius is shooting 64.4 percent from the field, which leads the team but does not qualify for the ACC rankings because he doesn't have enough field goal attempts. More impressively, Danelius has shot less than 50 percent in a game just twice in 21 games this season and he has yet to shoot below 40 percent in a game. More on Danelius: - He started the second half of two recent games (at Virginia and at Duke). - Jan. 12 against Clemson, he recorded his first career double-double (11 points, 13 rebounds). - His 13 rebounds against the Tigers were the most single-game rebounds by any Deacon player this season. - Last Wednesday at NC State, Danelius came off the bench for 13 points. - His numbers in ACC games (7.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game) are higher than his stats in non-league games.
Vytas Danelius Category First 12 Games Last 9 Games Minutes Per Game 14.1 17.0 Points Per Game 6.0 7.6 Double-Figure Scoring 2 3 Free Throw Percentage 60.9 70.0 Rebounds Per Game 3.6 4.4
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: - He leads the team and ranks sixth in the ACC in scoring (16.7 points per game). - Songaila has scored in double figures in every game but one this season and he has scored in double figures 93 times in his career. - He ranks fourth in the ACC in free throw percentage (.844) and he has shot an even higher percentage (.886) in ACC games. - His career free throw percentage (.825) is the sixth-highest in Wake Forest history. - Songaila is second on the team and ranks seventh in the ACC in rebounding (7.9 rpg.). - He ranks 12th in Wake Forest history with 702 career rebounds and will move into the top 10 with five more boards. - He ranks eighth in Wake history with 92 career blocked shots. - He ranks 10th in the ACC this season in blocked shots (1.10). - Songaila has nine double-doubles this season, including one in three of the last four games. Only Virginia's Travis Watson (10) has more in the ACC. Songaila owns 17 career double-doubles. - He ranks fifth in the ACC in field goal percentage (.518). - He ranks 13th in Wake Forest career scoring history with 1,602 points. - Songaila is just the sixth player in Wake Forest history to accumulate 1,500 points and 700 boards. - Only five players in school history have made more free throws than Songaila (501) and only five players have attempted more free throws (607). - He has scored 20 or more points in a game 15 times, including five times this season. - He ranks 13th in the ACC in steals (1.29). - He ranks 15th in the ACC in assists (2.62). Songaila and North Carolina's Jason Capel are the only frontcourt players to rank among the top 15. - Songaila was named to the Preseason NIT All-Tournament team after his performances against Fresno State and Syracuse.
Josh Howard One Of The ACC's Hottest, Most Versatile Players
How valuable and versatile is junior Josh Howard? Over the last two games combined -- wins over Georgia Tech and NC State -- Howard had 41 points, 18 rebounds, 10 assists, 9 steals and 3 blocked shots. At 6-6, Howard leads the ACC in offensive rebounds and he ranks among the ACC leaders in eight different statistical categories. More on Howard: - At NC State Wednesday night, Howard scored 21 points, grabbed nine rebounds, dished out five assists, had two steals and one blocked shot. - In the previous game against Georgia Tech (Jan. 26), Howard had 20 points, nine rebounds, a career-high seven steals, five assists and two blocked shots. - In the month of January, Howard averaged a team-best 16.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.1 assists and 1.4 blocks per game. - Nearly half of Howard's 169 rebounds have come on the offensive boards (80). - He is second on the team and 12th in the ACC in scoring (14.1 ppg.). - He ranks sixth in the ACC in field goal percentage (.506). - Only five players in the ACC have more double-doubles this season than Howard (four). - Just a junior, Howard has already scored 1,031 career points to rank 39th in WFU history. - He ranks seventh in the ACC in steals (1.71 spg.). - Howard ranks seventh among Wake's all-time leaders in steals with 138. - Howard ranks 12th in the ACC in blocked shots (1.05 bspg.). - He ranks among Wake's all-time leaders in blocked shots (87).
Howard's Last Two Games Opponent PTS REB AST ST BS vs. Georgia Tech 20 9 5 *7 2 at NC State 21 9 5 2 1 * career high
Most Single-Game Steals/WFU History 8, Tyrone Bogues vs. Georgia Southern, 12-17-85 8, Tyrone Bogues vs. Davidson, 12-5-84 7, Josh Howard vs. Georgia Tech, 1-26-01
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 has nearly doubled his statistics from a year ago, easily making him one of the ACC's most improved players. Scott is not at 100 percent. He suffered a severely dislocated middle finger on his non-shooting (left) hand in the Jan. 15 game against Virginia. He will wear a splint for another week. More on Scott: - He ranks second in the ACC in blocked shots (1.76 bspg.). Scott is trying to become the first Deacon to lead the ACC in blocked shots since Tim Duncan, who led the ACC in blocks for four seasons (from 1994-97). - Scott ranks second on the team in minutes played (29.2). - His field goal percentage (.535) would be the fourth-highest in the ACC, but he does not have the minimum number of field goals made to qualify. - He ranks 25th in the ACC in scoring (10.4 ppg.) and 19th in rebounding (4.9 rpg.). - Scott ranks fifth on Wake Forest's all-time blocked shots list with 130 career rejections. - He has scored in double figures 13 times this season. - Scott has more dunks this season (45) than the rest of the Deacon team combined (35).
Antwan Scott This Season Last Season Minutes Per Game 29.2 16.2 Points Per Game 10.4 6.8 Rebounds Per Game 4.9 3.6 Field Goal Percentage 53.5 48.7 Blocks Per Game 1.76 1.3
Freshman Taron Downey Moves 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. Over the last six games, Downey has averaged 7.5 points and 22.3 minutes per game. A quick look at how Downey has emerged: - In the final two games of December (vs. St. John's and Marquette), Downey played a combined six minutes, scored no points and had no assists. - In the first game of January (vs. Richmond), Downey played a then career-high 17 minutes and grabbed a career-best six rebounds. - Jan. 7 at Navy, he came off the bench for a career-high 15 points, including three three-point field goals. - Jan. 19 at No. 1 Duke, Downey started the second half when Broderick Hicks was injured. He finished the game with 30 minutes played, seven points and no turnovers against the Blue Devil pressure defense. - Jan. 23 against No. 3 Maryland, Downey went 2-of-2 from three-point range. - Jan. 26 against Georgia Tech, he made his first career start, played 31 minutes and dished out five assists. - Jan. 30 at NC State, Downey started for the second time, sank a three-point field goal for the third consecutive game and scored five points.
Taron Downey Category First 12 Games Last 7 Games Minutes Per Game 6.8 21.7 Points Per Game 1.7 7.1 Three-Point Field Goals 0.3 1.3 Rebounds 0.5 1.4 Assists 0.7 2.0
Downtown Dawson One Of ACC's Most Prolific 3-Point Shooters
Senior Craig Dawson continues to prove why he is one of the nation's most dangerous perimeter shooters. Dawson ranks fifth among the ACC leaders in three-point field goals (56) and third in three-point field goal percentage (.412). More on Dawson: - He has made at least one three-point field goal in every game this season and he has made at least two three-pointers in every game but five. - Dawson has made three or more three-pointers in a game nine times this season, 29 times in his career. - He ranks fourth in Wake Forest history with 211 career three-point field goals. - He is tied for 19th in ACC history with Matt Harpring and Jeff Lebo for three-point field goals made. - Dawson ranks 22nd in the ACC in scoring (11.0 ppg.). - He ranks 29th in Wake Forest career scoring history with 1,153 points.
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.
The Skip Prosser Era In Full Swing At Wake
Skip Prosser, who previously served as the head coach at Loyola (MD) and Xavier, is beginning his first season at Wake Forest. His record at Wake Forest is 15-6. His career record, in nine seasons, is 180-84. 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 Enjoying Success In First Season At Wake
Wake Forest first-year coach Skip Prosser is trying to accomplish what no other first-year coach in Deacon history has done since 1927 -- produce a winning season. With two more victories this season, Prosser will become 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. By beating North Carolina 84-62 on Jan. 5, Prosser became the first Deac first-year coach to win in Chapel Hill since R.S. Hayes in 1926. He is the first rookie WFU coach to win on the road against UNC and NC State in the same season.
Coaches In First Season At WFU Coach (Season) Thru 21 Games Final Record Skip Prosser (2002) 15-6 ? Dave Odom (1990) 8-13 12-16 Bob Staak (1986) 6-15 8-21 Carl Tacy (1973) 9-12 12-15 Jack McCloskey (1967) 7-14 9-18 Jack Murdock (1966) 7-14 8-18 Bones McKinney (1958) 6-15 6-17
Senior Class' Accomplishments Continue To Grow
With five fourth-year seniors on its roster, Wake Forest has one of the ACC's most experienced groups. Four of Wake's top five scorers -- Darius Songaila (16.7 ppg.), Craig Dawson (11.0 ppg.), Antwan Scott (10.4 ppg.) and Broderick Hicks (8.0 ppg.) -- are all seniors. Seniors lead Wake in basically every statistical category. Those five seniors -- Songaila, Dawson, Hicks, Ervin Murray and Scott -- have enjoyed much success over the last four years. Consider: - Wake's senior class has appeared in postseason play every season, including an NCAA Tournament appearance last season. - Over the last four seasons, Wake Forest is a combined 73-45 (.619). The Class of 2002 is trying to become the seventh senior class to win 80 games or more over four seasons. - The seniors have been a part of three wins over teams ranked in the top 10. - In 2001, Wake Forest won the postseason NIT championship. - The five seniors have combined to play in 576 career games.
Career Games Played/WFU History Rk. Player (Years) Games 1. Tim Duncan (1994-1997) 128 2. Robert O'Kelley (1998-01) 127 3. Josh Shoemaker (1998-01) 126 4. Danny Young (1981-1984) 122 Tony Rutland (1995-98) 122 6. Anthony Teachey (1981-84) 121 7. Frank Johnson (1977-81) 120 Randolph Childress (1991, 93-95) 120 9. Tyrone Bogues (1984-87) 119 Rafael Vidaurreta (1998-01) 119 11. Broderick Hicks (1998- ) 118 12. Darius Songaila (1998- ) 117 13. Antwan Scott (1998- ) 116 Lee Garber (1982-85) 116 15. Craig Dawson (1998- ) 115 Trelonnie Owens (1991-94) 115 Jerry Braswell (1995-98) 115 nr. Ervin Murray (1998- ) 110
