Wake Forest Basketball: Time running out for Danny Manning

Wake Forest Basketball continues to struggle in coach Danny Manning’s fifth season, putting him squarely on the hot seat.

Returning the Wake Forest Demon Deacons to national prominence is proving to be a tough task.

There are advantages hidden in plain sight for the program. They play in the collegiate basketball hotbed of North Carolina. They compete in the ACC, consistently one of the top conferences in the nation. They count legends Tim Duncan and Chris Paul as alumni. And yet, they’ve spent the better portion of the past decade languishing near the bottom of the standings.

After a quick ascension at Tulsa, Danny Manning was tasked with turning Wake Forest around once and for all in 2014. The results have not followed as planned, though. The Demon Deacons lost 19 games in each of Manning’s first two seasons at the helm, including an abysmal 2-16 ACC record in 2015-16.

It looked like things were turning around in 2016-17, when the Demon Deacons skated into the First Four, their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2010. That was immediately followed up, however, by an 11-20 campaign, the worst of Manning’s career, making Year 5 a pivotal moment for the coach.

On the surface, a 7-5 record in non-conference play doesn’t sound like a complete disaster. Losing to Tennessee is a given. Even losing at Richmond is forgivable. Losing to Houston Baptist and Gardner-Webb – both at home, no less – is a much harder pill to swallow for the Wake Forest faithful.

Now they’re in the midst of another tough ACC slate. Wake Forest lost their first three conference games, each by double digits. Their next three come against North Carolina State, Virginia Tech, and Virginia, all ranked in the top 15 of the latest AP poll; an 0-6 start to ACC play is likely.

As it stands, Manning’s record at Wake Forest is 61-80, 20-55 in ACC play. Before his predecessor Jeff Bzdelik resigned, he went 51-76 as Wake Forest’s coach, including 17-51 in ACC play.

Manning simply isn’t bringing in enough high-caliber talent to get things going. Freshman Jaylen Hoard is a five-star talent according to 247 Sports, but he’s also the only five-star recruit to sign with Wake Forest during Manning’s tenure. It’s been years since a Wake Forest player has entered the national consciousness. John Collins is the only All-ACC player of the past five years.

There’s no reason Wake Forest needs to be trapped at the bottom of the ACC, yet that’s the situation that persists. It could cost Danny Manning his job in the coming months.