Somewhere, Skip Prosser is smiling.
 
Wake Forest athletic director Ron Wellman decided to hire Prosser's right-hand man, Dino Gaudio, to take over the Demon Deacons program.

Gaudio has been a head coach at two different stops - Army and Loyola (Md.) - where he compiled a less-the-stellar 68-124 record. However, the 50-year-old has far more to work with at Wake than his previous head coaching gigs.

Wake's other associate head coach, Jeff Battle, was also more than qualified. However, according to one source, the coaching staff - including Battle - was unified as to who they thought should get the job.

Gaudio.

There was no way that Wellman could bring in someone from the outside. Not only would it have been a slap in the face to the late Prosser, but there was no reason since all three of his assistants - Gaudio, Battle and one of the brightest young assistants in the business, Pat Kelsey, could have all stepped in for Prosser.

Trust me when I say that this is one of the highest-character coaching staffs in the country.

Gaudio got the nod partially because he had the head coaching experience and also had the longest tenure with Prosser - dating back to his days as an assistant coach under Prosser at Central Catholic High in West Virginia.

Now Gaudio will try and mold a young team that is led by a sophomore class that includes Jamie Skeen, Ishmael Smith and L.D. Williams - into one that can compete against the top teams in the ACC.

However, it's 2008 that should be the year that Gaudio should be able to reap the rewards of his former mentor's recruiting efforts. That's when the talented frontcourt trio of Al Farouq Aminu, Ty Walker and Tony Woods plan to come onto campus.

HOBB-KNOBBING

George Washington coach Karl Hobbs is still baffled at how the Colonials are still mentioned as one of the teams that will compete for the A-10 crown this year.

GW will only return one starter in senior guard Maureece Rice.

``I enjoy the challenge," said Hobbs, who turned 46 on Tuesday. ``I'm excited about our youth. We'll have a lot of energy and enthusiasm. I don't know how good we'll be, but we'll have a lot of energy."

George Washington will be just fine. Hobbs and his staff find a way to do it without big name recruits. They get unheralded guys and develop them.

Two years ago, Hobbs lost three starters - Mike Hall, Omar Williams and Pops Mensah-Bonsu - off the Colonials 27-3 team that tore through the A-10. George Washington still finished 23-9 a year ago and made the NCAA tournament.

Hobbs said he expects a big year not only from Rice, but from junior Robert Diggs.

``He's ready to step into that Mike Hall, Omar Williams or Pops Mensah-Bonsu role," Hobbs said. "Which means he's going to have to score, rebound and block shots. He's going to have to be multi-dimensional."

The Colonials will be more athletic than a year ago and shouldn't have as much difficulty putting the ball in the basket. Former Clemson wing Cheyenne Moore is healthy after an injury-plagued sophomore season, forward Damian Hollis got key experience on the U19 World Championship Team and Rice is a proven scorer.

``This is the most excited I've been leading up to a season," Hobbs said. "We have so many guys with great potential."