No. 17 Xavier hosts Wake Forest in Skip Prosser Classic (Dec 17, 2016)
CINCINNATI -- Skip Prosser died in 2007, but he'll be on the minds of many players, coaches and fans on Saturday night, when No. 17 Xavier hosts Wake Forest at Cintas Center.
The Musketeers and Demon Deacons are meeting for the sixth time as part of the Skip Prosser Classic, played in honor of the former coach at both programs.
Xavier head coach Chris Mack was an assistant at Wake Forest for three years under Prosser and was a two-year captain for the Musketeers while Prosser was an assistant coach.
Mack spoke with his team this week about his former friend and mentor.
"I wanted the guys to understand why we play the series, and give them a good perspective of who he was," Mack said. "Anybody that had a chance to play for Skip or coach with him knows how genuinely sincere and caring he was. He treated everyone the same, from the guy who mopped the gym to his players."
Prosser was at Xavier for 15 years from 1985-2001, including as Musketeers head coach from 1994-2001, when he compiled a 148-65 record and three NCAA Tournament berths. He was Wake Forest's head coach from 2001 until he died of a massive heart attack in his campus office. Prosser led the Demon Deacons to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first four years.
During his coaching career, Prosser helped develop future NBA stars David West, Josh Howard, and Chris Paul.
Prosser was inducted into XU's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010 and remains a beloved figure at both schools and throughout college basketball.
"We briefly talked about him (on Thursday)," said Xavier forward RaShid Gaston. "He had a great impact on both teams and we're playing this game in honor of him."
Xavier (8-2) leads the series 4-2, including a come-from-behind 78-70 win at Wake Forest last season. The Musketeers trailed by as many as 18 points in that game.
Mack's team, like Wake Forest, is coming off exam week, which can often result in sluggish performances.
"The good thing is that Wake Forest is dealing with it, too," he said. "So, no excuses tomorrow if we don't play well. It was exam week for both teams."
Musketeers guard Trevon Bluiett was named to the Big East Conference weekly honor roll after averaging 22.5 points in a loss at Colorado and a win over Utah.
Wake Forest (8-2) is 3-1 on the road with wins at Charleston, Richmond and UNC-Greensboro and a loss at Northwestern.
"They're a really good team in transition," said Gaston. "They're really aggressive on the offensive glass as well."
Gaston will try to contain Demon Deacons sophomore forward John Collins, who averages 18 points and is among four Wake Forest players scoring in double-figures.
Mack believes Collins is among the most improved players in all of college basketball this season.
"John's an athletic kid," said Wake Forest head coach Danny Manning last month. "Last year, in the minutes that he played, his production was really, really high. But the thing we continue to stress with him is defensive positioning. When you get to this level and you try to time up a block or go make a great defensive play, you usually end up getting a foul."
