July 28, 2007

Bob McClellan
Rivals.com College Basketball Editor

? Wake mourns
? Odom shocked
? Long trail of friends
? The game's loss
? Prosser career

In the gym at Camp Arifjan, a U.S. Army base in Kuwait, pictures of Tom Izzo and Kelvin Sampson hang on the walls.

The college basketball coaches are shown with their "Operation Hardwood" championship teams.

According to Operation Hardwood Executive Director Rick Kell, Skip Prosser was looking forward to returning to Kuwait next year to see his picture alongside those of Izzo and Sampson. Tragically, Prosser will never get that chance. The former Wake Forest coach died Thursday after collapsing in his office after going for a jog on campus.

"I saw him at a function in June, and we were busting (Notre Dame coach) Mike Brey up that it was not gonna be his picture," Kell said.

Prosser's team had beaten Brey's team in the final of Operation Hardwood, an initiative launched a couple of years ago to boost morale among U.S. military men and women serving in the Middle East. The coaches lead teams representing each of the eight U.S. bases in the area, and they stage their own March Madness, albeit in May.

Kell said the first call he received with the news of Prosser's passing was from Georgia coach Dennis Felton, who also had been on the trip to Kuwait.

"We were just stunned and shocked," Kell said. "Skip had had a physical just before we left for Kuwait. I hadn't had one in a couple of years, and he got all over me and told me to get it done.

"When we were over there, he'd work out on the treadmill or hit the track and leave the air conditioning and get a good sweat. That's easy to do over there in that 125-degree heat. ? He appeared to be in great health, lots of energy."

Kell said Prosser had been deeply moved by visiting with the American troops.

"He was truly in awe of the soldiers," Kell said. "What they were doing, how they approached their mission, their focus, maturity, lack of complaining.

"Skip called me at least five times since we've been back and has said thanks every time for getting him on the trip."

ESPN analyst Jay Bilas had spoken to Prosser about the trip. Bilas had been part of the group on the first two Operation Hardwood events, but was unable to go on this one because of schedule conflicts. Bilas told Prosser not to miss the opportunity.

"We talked when he got back and he said, 'You were right and then some,'" Bilas said. "We talked about the shared experiences. You have a greater understanding of honor, duty and discipline."

The Citadel coach Ed Conroy was on the trip to Kuwait with Prosser. He had met the Wake coach previously, but the two became fast friends in the sweltering desert.

"We spent a lot of time over there just talking about life. He was interested in every part of life, not just consumed with coaching. He was looking forward to traveling more. We talked about reading books, people we had met."

The two also planned to share a beer when they returned stateside. No alcohol was permitted on the base. Instead, the two would go to a small Baskin-Robbins on the base every night at 10 for ice cream and chat away the night. The other coaches began to tag along.

Prosser and Conroy did get as close as they could to hoisting a cold one on their final night at camp.

"They sold 'near-beer' on the base, and Skip bought a six-pack for us," Conroy said. "I'll never forget it. Skip, Mike Brey and myself shared a six-pack of near-beer on a picnic table in the desert. It didn't taste very good, but we were talking with some soldiers and just having a great time."

Conroy had seen Prosser on the recruiting trail in Orlando on Tuesday night. Again they talked of raising a glass.

"We never did get to have that beer," Conroy said. "It's going to be tough not to have him around."

Kell said he recently had received a photo from Prosser showing the Operation Hardwood group with the Black Hawk helicopter crew that transported the coaches back and forth from Camp Buehring. It's the last stop for the troops before deployment in Iraq.

"He was very proud of that photograph," Kell said. "He sent us each one with a nice letter attached."

Kell said he already has the dates for next year's trip, and the first person he called about his availability was Prosser.

"He said, 'You know I'm in,'" Kell said. "Then he thought about it and said, 'You know, it's such a tremendous experience, if you need to share it with somebody else ?' and I said, 'You're the defending champion, you have to come back.' He said, 'I'm all over it. I've got it on my calendar right now.' He was looking forward to going back."

No doubt he would have been proud to see his championship picture in the gym at Camp Arifjan.

Bob McClellan is the college basketball editor for Rivals.com. He can be reached at bmcclellan@rivals.com.