Wofford assistant Mark Prosser can imagine the joy in his father's voice after the Terriers' second straight Southern Conference title.
''He would've loved this,'' Mark said with a smile. ''He really would have.''
Skip Prosser's son has relished his latest NCAA run with Wofford the past two seasons. He only wishes that his dad, the late Wake Forest coach, was around to enjoy it, too.
He died of an apparent heart attack in the summer of 2007. Along with losing his guidepost, Prosser lost a mentor who called about every night to hash out one of their games.
''I still look at the phone sometimes,'' said Prosser, 32.
The emotions have gotten easier to deal with since that shocking summer day. Prosser was a Bucknell assistant concentrating on summer recruiting when he learned of his father's death from a phone call from then-Wake Forest assistant Dino Guadio.
Prosser said his father loved this time of year, playing for a spot in what he called the ''national tournament.''
Skip Prosser was as thrilled as if he had been on Bucknell's staff when the Bison knocked off Kansas in the 2005 NCAAs and Arkansas in another first-round upset a season later. His dream was reaching the Final Four, and thought he had the chance in 2005 when Wake Forest was led by star point guard Chris Paul.
But a day after Bucknell's win over the Jayhawks, the Demon Deacons fell in double overtime 111-105 to West Virginia in a second-round game.
''He never got over that, it bothered him so much because he thought that year was the team'' that could reach the Final Four, Prosser said. ''He talked about it a lot.''
When Prosser was searching for a coaching job after graduating Marist in 2002, it was his father who pointed him to Wofford and first-year coach Mike Young.
''Everytime Skip saw me after that, he always told me how much he appreciated me giving 'Duke' a chance,'' Young said.
Prosser spent a year with the Terriers before moving on to Bucknell for five successful seasons. When Bison coach Pat Flannery retired, Prosser decided to return to Wofford. There, Young had the Terriers on the verge of a basketball run they hadn't had since moving up to Division I in the mid-1990s.
Led by the ''Minnesota mafia'' of Noah Dahlman, Cameron Rundles and Jamar Diggs - Dahlman is from Braham, Minn., while Rundles and Diggs are from Minneapolis - Wofford has won consecutive SoCon crowns.
The Terriers were a couple of made foul shots from toppling No. 4 seed Wisconsin in a 53-49 loss last year. Young says some of Prosser's best work has been helping the Terriers overcome poor play in the middle of the season to rally for eight straight victories heading into the NCAAs.
''He brings a lot of what his dad did to this team,'' Young said. ''You can even see during practices, he looks more and more like Skip out there.''
Prosser seldom gets tired of hearing about the legacy his father left on college basketball. Before games during Wofford's nonconference season, Prosser will also come across a former player or coach touched by Skip.
''That's when the stories come out,'' Prosser said. ''I love hearing them all.''
He would love to get his own chance leading a team to championships and NCAA tournament like his father. When the time comes, he hopes to bring Skip's honesty and passion with him.
For now, he'll wait with Wofford's players and staff until Sunday to find out the Terriers first-round opponent.
He'll undoubtedly get a phone call from his mother, Ruth, or Grandma Jo breaking down Wofford's chances. Although Mark wishes he could hear that familiar voice once last time, he knows he'll carry his father's legacy each time he steps on a court as coach.
''My dad always said, 'It's better than working for a living,'' Prosser said.
