Wake hires Tulsa coac Danny Manning

Harry · April 4, 2014

Manning was 38-29 with two postseason berths in two seasons at Tulsa.

His hiring ends Wake Forest's two-week search for a replacement for Jeff Bzdelik, who resigned under intense public pressure following four mostly unremarkable seasons.

http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/ap-source-wake-hires-danny-manning-tulsa-23189383

Andrew · April 4, 2014

They are in the AAC now anyway... Plus he wanted to get out before the basketball beat down that will ensue there...

CMJ · April 4, 2014

They are in the AAC now anyway... Plus he wanted to get out before the basketball beat down that will ensue there...

Yeah, since going to WF isn't gonna be a beat down. The ACC is no joke.

Andrew · April 4, 2014

Yeah, since going to WF isn't gonna be a beat down. The ACC is no joke.

He will be able to recruit much better and I get he would have a better chance at succeeding there.

CMJ · April 4, 2014

He will be able to recruit much better and I get he would have a better chance at succeeding there.

I doubt it.

Will he be able to recruit better? I suppose so. But the ACC is a much stronger league overall. Wake Forest is in the same state as two of the top programs of all time.

Andrew · April 5, 2014

I doubt it.

Will he be able to recruit better? I suppose so. But the ACC is a much stronger league overall. Wake Forest is in the same state as two of the top programs of all time.

I guess time will tell. I would have taken the wake Job. Yea you will have to compete with the likes of duke, North Carolina etc... I just think he has a better chance of getting wake going then he does with Tulsa against the AAC. Although I did forget that some solid basketball programs are leaving... I might stand corrected thinking about it. Tulsa would have a better shot. But again time will tell. I like Danny manning from his Dallas days so I wish him luck.

The Fake Lonnie Finch · April 7, 2014

Was never sold on Manning as Tulsa's coach. Consider myself wrong about him...to a point. C-USun Belt basketball isn't the same C-USA basketball before the Sun Belt transferred to the conference and the conference formed a new conference.

It's a good job, and Manning is from North Carolina; so, I see it. However, I don't see this as a "game changing" hire for Wake Forest. And, I don't think Wake's ACC foes are losing much sleep this morning.

untjim1995 · April 7, 2014

I thought Manning should have stayed at Tulsa just because a better job could've opened up for him if he had another good year under his belt, especially now that they are entering the AAC. I think Tulsa will do just fine next year in that league, too. People often underestimate Tulsa basketball, for some reason. They have some serious skins on the wall and have for a long time, much more than the other former CUSA private schools do combined.

That said, Danny Manning is probably the premier big man coach in college hoops right now. What he did in helping develop the big men at KU, especially Thomas Robinson and Jeff Withey, was very impressive. With his develpoment, both of htose players became much better than anyone had projected them to be. That's not even counting the other bigs that KU always seems to have that he coached under Bill Self. Ifhe can get a few of those types to come to Wake Forest and can develop them into the type of big men that the NBA wants, Wake could do real well. But, obviously, the ACC is an NBA-lite league, and it only gets tougher with the addition of Louisville next year. Either Manning makes it fast there and moves on in a few years to another huge job, or he fades back into being a mid-major coach. Time will tell...

Edited April 9, 2014 by untjim1995

The Fake Lonnie Finch · April 8, 2014

I thought Mannin should have stayed at Tulsa just because a better job could've opened up for him if he had another good year under his belt, especially now that they are entering the AAC. I think Tulsa will do just fine next year in that league, too. People often underestimate Tulsa basketball, for some reason. They have some serious skins on the wall and have for a long time, much more than the other former CUSA private schools do combined.

That said, Danny Manning is probably the premier big man coach in college hoops right now. What he did in helping develop the big men at KU, especially Thomas Robinson and Jeff Withey, was very impressive. With his develpoment, both of htose players became much better than anyone had projected them to be. That's not even counting the other bigs that KU always seems to have that he coached under Bill Self. Ifhe can get a few of those types to come to Wake Forest and can develop them into the type of big men that the NBA wants, Wake could do real well. But, obviously, the ACC is an NBA-lite league, and it only gets tougher with the addition of Louisville next year. Either Manning makes it fast there and moves on in a few years to another huge job, or he fades back into being a mid-major coach. Time will tell...

Now, at least, he'll have some competition to see whether his coaching skills are worthy of going higher.