Is The Answer As To Who Will Be The Next Head Coach Of Wake Forest Already On The Sideline?
It has been three days since Danny Manning was fired after six seasons as the head coach of Wake Forest.
During his time as the head coach of Wake Forest they never finished above .500 in the ACC under Manning, who had a 14-42 conference record over the past three seasons. Last season, the Demon Deacons went 13-18 overall and 6-14 in the ACC, finishing in a tie for last in the conference standings. “according to an article by Jeff Borzello on espn.com
Wake Forest finished 12th or worse in the league in five of Manning's six seasons.according to an article by Jeff Borzello on espn.com
Overall, Manning went 78-111 in his six seasons in Winston-Salem and 30-80 in conference play.according to an article by Jeff Borzello on espn.com
The Demon Deacons made one postseason appearance under Manning, losing in the First Four in 2017. according to an article by Jeff Borzello on espn.com
With Danny Manning gone Who will be Wake Forest next head coach?
The top candidates include Steve Forbes, East Tennessee State: Forbes is overdue for a power-conference job. He has done a phenomenal job at ETSU, winning 130 games in five seasons and earning two regular-season titles. The Bucs went to the NCAA tournament in 2017 and would have gone last season after winning 30 games and the SoCon tournament. Forbes has successfully recruited at a number of levels and has high-major experience as an assistant coach at Texas A&M, Tennessee and Wichita State.according to an article by Jeff Borzello on espn.com
Wes Miller, UNC Greensboro: Miller, who played at North Carolina, has been the name buzzing around this job for most of the season. UNCG reached the NCAA tournament in 2018 and was the final team left out in 2019. The Spartans won the SoCon regular-season title in 2017 and 2018, won 29 games in 2019 and went 23-9 overall and finished third in the conference last season. Miller also has very strong ties to Wake Forest, given the Demon Deacons' practice court has been named after his father since 2001.according to an article by Jeff Borzello on espn.com
While other options include Pat Kelsey, Winthrop: Wake Forest fans are very familiar with Kelsey, who was on staff under Skip Prosser with the Demon Deacons for eight seasons in the early 2000s. He spent three seasons as director of basketball operations before being promoted to an assistant coach. Kelsey has been the head coach at Winthrop since 2012, winning at least a share of the Big South regular-season title on three occasions and going to the NCAA tournament in 2017. The Eagles would have gone last season after winning the conference tournament.Ryan Odom, UMBC: Another familiar name to Wake Forest, Odom's father was the head coach of the Demon Deacons from 1989 to 2001. Odom has spent the last four seasons as the head coach of UMBC, leading the Retrievers to the NCAA tournament in 2018 and pulling off the first 16-over-1 upset when they knocked off top-seeded Virginia. He also has high-major experience as an assistant at Virginia Tech. UMBC did finish below .500 overall last season, though, and Odom hasn't won a regular-season title. according to an article by Jeff Borzello on espn.com
But could the answer as to who will be the next head coach of Wake Forest already on the sideline? He’s a former player who currently is acting as head coach since Danny Manning was fired. Who is he? Randolph Childress who is in his 10th season with the Wake Forest athletic department and his ninth season as a member of the basketball staff in 2020-21. He is in his fifth season as associate head coach after spending three seasons as an assistant coach. “according to https://godeacs.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/randolph-childress/527
Childress began his tenure on the Demon Deacon basketball staff in 2012-13 as the program's Director of Player Development. After one season, he was elevated to an assistant coach, a position he held for three seasons before his promotion to associate head coach prior to the the 2016-17 season.https://godeacs.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/randolph-childress/527
In Childress' first season as associate head coach, the Demon Deacons posted a 19-14 overall record and made its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2010. The team, featuring All-American and eventual NBA first round pick John Collins, ranked in the top 10 nationally in offensive efficiency. Wake Forest set school records with 268 3-pointers and 77.8 percent from the free throw line as the Deacs averaged 82.8 points per game.https://godeacs.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/randolph-childress/527
Childress joined the basketball staff full-time after serving in an administrative role within the athletic department for one year. Childress, who retired from professional basketball in 2011, was previously Assistant to the Athletic Director with roles in compliance, fundraising and student-athlete mentorship. He played an off-the-court mentorship role with the basketball student-athletes during the 2011-12 season before joining the basketball staff full-time.https://godeacs.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/randolph-childress/527