Winston-Salem, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - Danny Manning has been named the new men's basketball coach at Wake Forest.
Manning spent the past two seasons at Tulsa in his first head coaching position and guided the Golden Hurricane to a record of 38-29. He was Conference USA's top coach this past season as Tulsa finished with a 21-13 mark and earned its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2003 after winning the C-USA Tournament. The Golden Hurricane's season ended with a second-round NCAA Tournament loss to UCLA.
"I am excited about the opportunity to be a part of the history and tradition of Wake Forest," said Manning in a statement. "I am extremely humbled by this honor and look forward to being the head coach and competing for championships both on and off the court."
Manning is one of the greatest players in college basketball history, earning national player of the year honors while leading Kansas to the 1988 national championship. He was also the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four and was the top overall NBA Draft pick in 1988, then went on to a 15-year pro career.
The 47-year-old former NBA All-Star spent nine seasons on the staff at Kansas before landing the top job at Tulsa. He first served as the Jayhawks' director of student-athlete development before a five-year stint as an assistant coach at his alma mater, helping the Jayhawks to an NCAA title in 2008.
"We are very pleased to welcome Danny Manning to Wake Forest," said Wake Forest athletic director Ron Wellman. "There have been very few players who have had as much success on the court as Danny. He has played for and worked under a number of legendary coaches and he has been successful in his coaching career. We fully expect that Danny's coaching career will reflect the excellence of his playing career."
The Demon Deacons needed a replacement for Jeff Bzdelik, who resigned last month after four seasons. Wake Forest was just 51-76 under Bzdelik, including 17-16 this past season.
[SportsNetwork.com]
