Why, oh why?

I'm a few days late, but it's taken that long for me to even open my computer and face the harsh reality of Wake Forest's defeat.

I'm at a loss for words. My previous post talks about how we totally bit it in the ACC tourney, but I really thought the team would pull it together for the big dance. But, alas. Jeff Teague failed to play with any passion and the team as a whole couldn't make a shot to save it's place in the tournament. I've never even heard of Cleveland State before. Now I'll never forget them.

I've heard from several people that Wake has totally busted their brackets. But I knew this would happen. Following Wake basketball for the last nine years has taught me never to get my hopes up. It happened with Chris Paul. It happened with Jeff Teague. And I suspect it will happen next year again.

Oh, it's so hard to be a Wake fan.

Wake Forest is dead to me

How does a nationally ranked basketball team (No. 8 in the AP Poll) and a top team in one of the toughest conferences in the nation (No. 2 in the ACC) lose its first game of the tournament? By 11 points? To a team we beat in the regular season?

Wake does this every year. We finish strong in the regular season and then we choke in the tournaments. Of course, I'll be cheering my heart out for them on Friday, but sometimes it's so hard to be a Wake fan.

On a similar note, how does Carolina get a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, when Duke had a better overall record than them, AND won the ACC tournament? Meanwhile, Duke is stuck with a No. 2 seed. Carolina has this halo effect with the NCAA officials and, frankly, there would be nothing I would like better than to see Carolina go out like they did against FSU on Saturday. Yes, I said that out loud.

Hey, it's March Madness. And nothing gets me more mean-spirited like a little friendly competition.

Down Goes the Devil

Making another run for #1, Wake pulled off a fantastic win over Duke last night. If you missed the game, you missed one of the most exciting basketball battles so far this year. Wake came out strong, leading Duke at the half and for most of the second, before Duke started to pull up.

And then there were seconds left on the clock and Duke was down by two. Duke goes in for a three point shot (we held our breath) and missed. The rebound came straight towards Johnson, one of our guards, who just stood there. I swear he wasn't paying attention. He totally missed the opportunity and Duke snagged the rebound and put it in to tie us, 68-68.

Our ball, with just seconds left on the clock. Johnson redeems himself with a shot that just slid in (we held our breath). 0.8 seconds left and it's over. Won by 2 points and Duke goes down from the podium.

Our boys played fast and strong and, while Virginia Tech did hand us our first loss last week, I think we rebounded nicely. If we keep playing like this, we're sure to be first seed in the tourney.

Maybe this is the year.

Believe

The rankings just came out today and, according to both polls, Wake Forest is ranked the number one team in the nation for basketball! We are the only unbeaten basketball team right now, and I hope that remains true through this week, although we do have two tough games coming up - Virgina Tech and Duke. We're a passionate team, though, and with this little boost, I hope we can give them both a good fight.

This is a great testament to the basketball program at Wake and the spirit of this young team. I've always been proud to be a Demon Deacon, but this week, I'm just glowing!

Let's go Deacons!

How 'bout them Deacons?

Sunday night was the big game between Wake Forest and UNC-Carolina. And, what a game! It was close the entire time, with Wake staying ahead pretty much the whole time, pulling out a 3-point win! It was exhilirating to watch Wake play and to put all those critics' noise to rest about Carolina being the best team in the nation. With a record of 0-2 in the ACC, it looks like Carolina may have been hyped up a bit.

Of course, anything can happen at any game.

But it's nice to be able to gloat a bit. Wake has always been strong in basektball, but this year proves to be exciting with a talented team. And with no Seniors on the team, we know these boys will be around for a few more years.

Go Deacs!

A little more black than gold

As many of you may have heard - especially those of you who follow sports closely - our beloved Wake Forest basketball coach, Skip Prosser, died yesterday. I was shocked when I heard the news and I even teared up a bit. I know that sounds dumb, considering that I didn't actually know the guy personally - and he wasn't even the basketball coach until the season after I graduated - but what makes it so tragic was that it was sudden. He was only 56 years old and literally dropped dead of a heart attack.

What I remember about him is that he totally transformed basketball at Wake. He got the student section moved down so we were right next to the court (before that, the close seats were saved for the big-money alumni). He stole students' hearts when he delivered pizza to everyone camping out for tickets (no other coach in recent memory had ever done that before). He ate dinner and lunch at the student center.

And he was just a nice guy. So down-to-earth and someone you could see becoming a mentor or friend. Truly, Wake Forest basketball will never be the same again.

For those interested, here's an article from the Winston-Salem Journal. You can also click on the link to see a photo slideshow. Also, there will be some tributes tonight on ESPN and ESPN Classic, so watch for those.

It's always sad when someone dies. It's sadder when someone dies unexpectantly. And it's sadder still when someone dies who left a mark on a small part of the world and still had so much work left to do.

Friday, July 27, 2007
WFU community 'rolls the Quad' in honor of Prosser The WFU community began paying respects to Skip Prosser early this morning by doing something the beloved basketball coach loved to participate in - "rolling the Quad."

Prosser often joined Wake Forest University students on the Quad to stream the trees with toilet paper after big basketball victories.Rolling the Quad is usually a loud, jubilant celebration. This morning, it was quiet and somber. More than 200 came to the Quad about midnight to show their respects to Prosser, who died yesterday at 56. They included students, former students, faculty and athletes and former athletes. The basketball team was on the Quad at the beginning. They were joined by former WFU basketball stars Chris Paul, who now plays for the New Orleans Hornets, and Justin Gray.

"He was such an honorable, well-respected guy," said Lindsay Donohue, a WFU senior from Winston-Salem who wore her tie-dye WFU T-shirt. "I just wanted to come out here and pay my respects. Also for his family."

Prosser made students feel like they were a part of WFU basketball, and they said they wanted to roll the Quad as a sign of what he meant to them.Senior David Curameng of Fayetteville said he thought it was a cruel joke when Donohue called him to tell him Prosser had died. Then he was in shock, as were many others."He was always up even though our basketball team took a downfall a little," Curameng said. "He really did inspire the student body to always be active with the team, and he just made just made us feel like we were a huge part."

Many people had left campus by 1 a.m., but a few stayed quietly watching as light breezes moved the streams of white paper.

"He was just a great representative of Wake Forest, and I just felt like he played a big role in my life as a student, so I figured it was the least I could do to pay respects to him and his family, " said Todd Augustus, a 2003 graduate of WFU who works at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

Steven Elliott, a 2004 graduate, said he also wanted to be part of the tribute and couldn't believe Prosser was gone. "I was a Screaming Deacon for four years. He provided so much entertainment when I was here."

Jason Carter, a WFU senior from the town of Wake Forest, was among a number of students who spread the word to come to the Quad at midnight.

He described this morning as the most somber Quad-rolling ever. Seeing so many people together quietly on the Quad was powerful, he said. "I guess in a way we're celebrating Skip's life," Carter said. He recalled the times that Prosser would come out to help after a big win. Prosser threw toilet paper on the trees and mingled with everyone else in celebration.

"Everybody's got a story of seeing Skip," he said. And he remembered what Prosser told students before the important games: "I'll see you all here at midnight."

http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ/MGArticle/WSJ_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173352158368