Deacon Fans Welcome Danny Manning to Campus

Danny Manning arrived on the Quad Tuesday evening riding Wake Forest's black-and-gold motorcycle. He was also accompanied by music from the WFU Band.

Manning, a 6-foot 10 former college player of the year, officially accepted the men's basketball coaching job last week. He replaces Jeff Bzdelik, who resigned last month after four lackluster seasons.

John Walsh, a Wake Forest senior who has attended most of the games during his four years as a student, says Manning's hire brings a sense of optimism to campus.

Manning won a national championship in 1988 while playing for Kansas and then spent 15 years as a professional basketball player. He has been in the coaching ranks since the end of his playing days, including the last two years as head coach of the University of Tulsa. Manning spent his formative years in Greensboro before his family moved to Kansas, where he finished high school. During a press conference, Manning says he is happy to be back in the Triad.

Manning says he is honored to follow in the footsteps of great Demon Deacon coaches such as Bones McKinney, Carl Tacy, Dave Odom and Skip Prosser. He wants to build a new foundation for Wake Forest basketball based on sacrifice and hard work. And he has a mission statement for the team that will reflect those goals.

Back on the quad, juniors Alexis Moore and Jasmine Dunham were celebrating Manning's arrival. They are already thinking about next year and have high hopes.

Manning says he has met with the team and is reaching out to the current recruits to let them know they are still wanted at Wake Forest.