Wake Forest Athletics
GOLD RUSH: Big Man, On Campus
5/13/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
May 13, 2014
This article was originally published in the May/June issue of Gold Rush.
By Jay Reddick, Gold Rush
The Danny Manning Era at Wake Forest is off to a roaring start.
Manning was hired April 4 as the 22nd head coach in the history of the men's basketball program. Five days later, the 47-year-old Manning was introduced to the Wake Forest community in a big way - riding onto the Quad on the back of the Deacon's motorcycle.
Manning's words wowed Tie-Dye Nation as much as his entrance. The former Tulsa head coach, who was raised in Greensboro, said he is ready to return the Deacons to their glory years.
"We have aspirations of being a championship team," Manning told the media before his Quad unveiling. "We want to cut down nets. We're going to put forth the work to put ourselves in that situation. It's not going to be easy. But, I'm willing to roll up my sleeves, and let's go get it."
Manning brings a unique combination of youth and experience to WFU. The Kansas graduate, who was a member of the U.S. Olympic team in 1988, went on to play 15 years in the NBA. In 2003, the two-time All-Star transitioned into a role as director of student-athlete development and team manager at his alma mater. During nine seasons there under head coach Bill Self, he worked his way into an assistant coach's role, was part of a national championship in 2008, and coached 12 NBA Draft picks and two Academic All-Americans.
He moved on to become head coach at Tulsa, where he won 21 games in his second season and piloted the Golden Hurricane back into the NCAA tournament for the first time in 11 years.
The Deacons compiled a 51-76 record during the past four seasons, but Manning is used to recovering from adverse situations. He suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament during his rookie year in the NBA and later became the first person in the history of the league to return to the court after reconstructive surgeries on both knees.
Director of Athletics Ron Wellman cited Manning's last season at Tulsa - specifically his poise and commitment to a system - as a big reason he hired the big man.
"One of the factors that really attracted me to Danny was that his team started out 1-6 this year, and they ended up winning the last 11 games of the season," Wellman said. "When I asked Danny when they started 1-6, `What did you do differently to turn that team around?' He said, `Nothing. We didn't do anything differently. We just believed in the system that we had and we worked a little bit harder.' "
What set Manning's first day apart was the reception he got from the Wake Forest faithful. A large contingent greeted his plane when it landed at Smith Reynolds Airport, then hundreds were waiting for him on the Quad, many with buttons that read "DMann Deacon."
Manning said he expects his players to be hard-nosed and ready to work.
"We're going to go out there and we're going to go toe-to-toe," Manning said. "We're coming out and we're throwing blows, and we're going to continue to throw blows. We're going to take some knocks along the way. But we're going to fight, we're going to scrap. At the end of the day, I think if we put forth the effort necessary, we're going to continue to develop and get better. Hopefully there will be a lot of teams that don't want to see us."
Beyond the attitude, though, Manning said he brings specific ideas about X's and O's to the Deacons.
"I think for us, we want to come in and be an up-tempo team," Manning said. "We want to be aggressive offensively and defensively. We want to create energy. We're going to hang our hat on the defensive side of the ball. ... We don't want to give up any unearned, or easy buckets. I think that's the first thing we have to establish.
"And offensively, we want to be in an attack mode. I believe in paint touches. We want to get the ball into the paint, either by the bounce or by the pass. But I think once you're able to do that, you break down the defense, and it gives you a chance to be a little bit more successful on the offensive end."
You can tell a lot about a coach from his pedigree, and Manning's might be second to none. Before working for Self, Manning played for Hall of Fame coaches such as Larry Brown, Don Nelson and Jerry Sloan.
Manning's Triad ties are well-established - he was the linchpin for an undefeated state-championship team at Page High School in 1982-83. He said he had fond memories of playing games up the road at Reynolds High School and living just a few miles from the Deacons' ACC home court at the Greensboro Coliseum.
"I was a professional basketball player for 15 years," Manning said. "I got traded quite a bit, so where you go is where you go professionally. So to make the decision to come back to this area, where basketball is so special - I've lived it, I've been a part of it, and thanks to my late father, it's in my blood. I'm thrilled to be back."
Growing up so close to Wake Forest has also given Manning a real sense of Wake Forest's values and its history, as embodied by some of the great coaches of the past.
"I remember watching a lot of Coach [Carl] Tacy's teams, and it was a lot of fun," Manning said. "You go back to Coach [Bones] McKinney who led Wake Forest to its first and only Final Four appearance. Jump to Coach [Dave] Odom who had a great run, winning two ACC championships. You talk about Skip Prosser, how he affected so many people with his positive and great spirit. I am really honored to be following those great men and great coaches, and I am going to do my best to live up to the standards that they set for this university."
Manning will have a strong base to build from. The Deacons return three starters, including their top two scorers and rebounders, from a team whose 17 wins were the most since 2009-10.
"He's going to try to prove his place in the ACC, which I love, because as players that's what we're trying to do," said rising junior Codi Miller-McIntyre.
As Manning looks forward to debuting in the conference next fall, one thing is for sure - the man knows how to make an entrance.
