Wake Forest Athletics
Five Questions: Antwan Scott
7/10/2023 8:51:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Wake Forest men’s basketball alum took time for a reflective conversation with Deacon Sports Xtra.
A highly recruited in-state prospect, Antwan Scott played forward for coaches Dave Odom and Skip Prosser at Wake Forest from 1998-2002, finishing his career with 832 points, 406 rebounds and 140 blocked shots.
Scott's career total in blocked shots ranks eighth within Wake Forest program history, just below Ty Walker, Devin Thomas and Josh Howard. Scott now operates Eight Way Center, a non-profit facility serving young athletes in his hometown of New Bern, North Carolina.
Deacon Sports Xtra recently chatted with Scott for this Five Questions feature:
How did you wind up at Wake Forest?
Scott: "My dad lived in Winston-Salem. My final two schools came down to Wake Forest and North Carolina. I didn't want to play out of state. My AAU team had Julius Peppers, Kris Lang, Brendan Haywood, Craig Dawson, Ervin Murray and Josh Howard. We all played AAU ball together in North Carolina, and we did pretty good. Me and Craig became good friends and started playing together in ninth grade, building that team. We then decided that we wanted to play college ball together."
How difficult was the coaching change for you entering your senior season?
Scott: "Everybody's situation is different. When I came to Wake Forest, I was one of the highest recruits. You see the rankings and all of this stuff. You have these dreams, and one of them was to play right away, not really understanding how physical the game of college basketball is. I came into Wake Forest probably around 195 pounds and they wanted me to play power forward. I played small forward on the wing in high school at Oak Hill – I never received that training. One of the first things Skip Prosser said to me was that he wished he had me for two years. He knew he could help me become a different player."
What are some of the most important things you learned from Coach Prosser?
Scott: "I had one of his quotes hanging up as you entered into my gym – the gym is the best place you will ever be. When you walk down this long halfway and get into the gym, that's the first thing you see. That man really made an impact on my life. I'd never had a connection like that with a coach. Still, to this day, a lot of things I learned from him I work to instill in these kids."
How much do you stay in tune with what's going on currently with the resurgent Wake Forest Basketball program?
Scott: "I'm in tune. I work with young kids, so I have to stay in tune. I'm a Deacon. I love the direction we're going. (Head coach) Steve Forbes reminds me a lot of Skip Prosser. Skip had a unique way of connecting to the people. I think that's why he had the success he did. One day, I was in The Pitt, and Coach Prosser came in there and sat with a group of students who he didn't know at all. He ate with them and started having a conversation with them. I just remember that vividly and it's an example of how he treated people. He could have sent somebody to go pick his food up, but he was that type of guy. That stuck with me — that connection with people. I played to the crowd and was an energy guy, and Skip loved that about me."
What moment in your career at Wake Forest are you most proud of?
Scott: "Graduating. Everybody's background is different. To be one of the first in my family to reach that feat was very important to me. Like everyone, I figured I would play two years of college ball and then try to go to the league. Once you're there and make that connection with people, if I could do it all over again, I would. Me, Craig (Dawson), Ervin (Murray) and Josh (Howard) all text and communicate all the time. A lot of other guys do too. We stay connected."
