Mark Prosser becomes a head coach

Wofford coach Mike Young gave Mark Prosser his first assistant coaching job, and recalled that Prosser's father was always appreciative when the two would meet.

"It meant a lot to him," Young recalled of Skip Prosser, the Wake Forest coach who died of a heart attack in 2007.

So when Mark Prosser left Wofford and was named the head coach at Division II Brevard College in North Carolina on Tuesday, there was a sense of pride for Young.

"I've thought for some time now that Mark was ready to do his own thing, be a head coach," Young said. "It didn't matter at what level. He was ready to do that. This makes sense to him. It's not a bad move in terms of proximity, He's going to do really well.

"He's got such great qualities, much like his dad. He is a wonderful person that gets along with everybody he comes along with. Just as importantly as it pertains to taking on this real responsibility, he's a really good basketball coach that has a clear picture of what he wants to do. I'm excited for him."

Young thought so highly of Mark Prosser that he hired the longtime assistant twice, first giving him a shot right out of college as an assistant coach at Wofford. Mark Prosser eventually left for Bucknell and was out recruiting when the news came that his father had collapsed following a jog, sending Mark running out of a gym in tears. The day before Skip Prosser's death, he was talking about how enjoyable it was to see his son on the recruiting trail with him.

Mark Prosser eventually returned to Wofford, and the Terriers made back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances while he helped Young turn the program into a force in the Southern Conference.

"Honest to goodness, he does not have a weakness as far as the responsibilities as a head coach," Young said. "He is beyond ready.

"I kid with him that I was dumb enough to hire him a second time. It paid great dividends."

Mark Prosser, who in July reflected on his father's memory on the four-year anniversary of his death, now has his own program.

"My goal is to continue to build the program and keep the team performing at a high level," Prosser said in a statement. "Our guys will play very hard and make it a 40-minute war for whoever we are facing on the court."

Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/35234/mark-prosser-becomes-a-head-coach

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