Two days after Skip Prosser got the head basketball job at Wake Forest, Mike Gurley’s phone rang.

The Donte Minter Watch had begun.

Two seasons after Gurley prepped Scooter Sherrill for a dose of big-time recruiting, he is at it again, this time with the 6-foot-8 Minter, projected by most college scouts to be a power forward.

Prosser’s staff at Xavier loved Minter last season after seeing him play in summer camps and AAU. Now that the group has moved to Winston-Salem, he is a target of the Demon Deacons.

“Their assistant coach, Mark Schmidt (who has since left to be the head coach at Robert Morris) told me they had known about Donte for a while,” Gurley said, “but they knew they couldn’t get him to come to Cincinnati.”

“Now,” Schmidt told Gurley, “we’re in Winston-Salem and we’re interested in recruiting Donte.”

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And so it goes for the high-scoring West Rowan star. The rising senior is already on the road, playing in tournaments for the prestigious Charlotte Royals. A couple of weeks ago, his team won a national AAU qualifying tournament at Belmont Abbey, beating the Raleigh Heat and Shavlik Randolph, 59-49.

Randolph is the most highly sought-after player in America and has apparently narrowed his choices to Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State.

“We went head-to-head a couple of times,” Minter said of the 6-10 Randolph. “He blocked my shot once but they called goaltending.

“He shoots the ball real well and his footwork is great for his size.”

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It’s Minter’s feet that have the naysayers wondering whether he can play top-caliber Division I. Gurley held up one publication, for instance, that questioned his leaping ability.

In Gurley’s mind — and obviously Prosser’s — those notions are baloney.

“The thing people need to realize about Donte is, he’s never going to be flashy like Scooter.” Gurley said. “Too many people want to criticize the aspects of his game that haven’t matured yet. But there are a lot of schools who see the things he does well and know the weaknesses can be taken care of.

“He just may be the most efficient player I’ve ever coached in the post.”

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Minter will have plenty of opportunities to prove himself from now until August. He is scheduled for road trips to Orlando, Indianapolis and Augusta Ga., among others. He seems to be a lock for the prestigious NIKE camps. He’ll also join Gurley and West Rowan in summer camps and weekend tournaments.

“I don’t think I’ll be home but about a week in July,” said Minter. “I make the best of it when I am home but I’m used to (the travel).”

He scored 15 points in a recent game for the Royals and made several big baskets against Shavlik’s squad. He has held his own with the likes of teammate Rashad McCants, a University of North Carolina signee.

But July is when the spotlight will be turned on.

“That’s when he’ll get the full throttle of recruiting,” Gurley said.

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Minter is receiving around 25 letters per week but Gurley warns him about mail, just as he did Scooter.

“I’’m not a big letter guy,” he says. “There may be 200 kids they’re sending that letter to. Unless it’s handwritten or you get a call, I don’t put much stock into it.”

Marquette is a school the West mentor does take seriously. Head coach Tom Crean, a former Michigan State assistant, has talked personally to Gurley.

“They saw him in the Boo Williams tournament and told me, “We’ve got to have him,” Gurley said.

Minter said he already has a “favorites list,” naming Wake Forest and Charlotte. The popular Bobby Lutz, who once coached at Pfeiffer University, has turned the 49ers into a consistent NCAA participant during March Madness.

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By the end of July, Gurley said he will be convinced Minter will know the direction he’s taking.

“I think it’s going to be fun,” Minter said, adding he watched the Scooter recruitment closely.

“I learned that I should wait and take a couple of visits before I sign,” he said.

“I think you’ll see him wait and unless the right school comes along, you won’t see him commit until April,” Gurley said.

First, there will be a senior season that has him bubbling. He is expected to join Scooter as the only Rowan County players to go past the 2,000-point mark. Last season was cut short in the 3A sectionals in an overtime loss to High Point Andrews.

“I’m ready,” he said with a big grin. “I’ve been ready since High Point Andrews.

“What level will he go?” wonders Gurley. “Nobody really knows who should recruit him. But the ones who take the initiative will benefit.”

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Gurley knows he is one lucky coach. First, there was Scooter. Now, Donte. And summer, Junior Hairston and Phillip Williams will be rising seniors.

Those two are already getting some serious looks. They have both grown to 6-7 and have shined in showcases and AAU play.

“A lot of colleges are interested in Junior Hairston and Phillip Williams right now,” Gurley said.

Williams got some looks after the recent Triad Top 50 in Winston-Salem. Gurley said his outside shot has come around.

“The High Point Andrews game was big for Phillip,” Gurley said. “He played well but late in the game, he had his shot blocked so there’s some self-motivation there to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

Hairston’s shoe size is already 171/2 and Gurley thinks the rising junior is going to keep growing.

“Junior’s best offensive move is that he can shoot it and go get it,” Gurley said. “It’s that second jump. Players go up and when they come down, he’s back up.”

With Minter, Hairston and Williams, not to mention Phillip’s twin brother Jason, who is 6-6, Gurley’s West team is probably going to be the top-ranked 3A team in the state in preseason.

“I can’t wait,” Gurley said.

Can you blame him?

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Contact Ronnie Gallagher at 797-4256 or rgallagher@salisburypost.com .