Wake hopes Forbes is the answer

Wake Forest has their man or, at the very least this version, of their man in Steve Forbes.

Forbes amassed as impressive 130-43 record in his five seasons at East Tennessee State. The Buccaneers went to the NCAA Tournament in two of the five seasons Forbes was at the helm.

“Leaving ETSU was not an easy decision for me and for my family,” Forbes said. “I will be eternally grateful to President Dr. Brian Noland, the fans, and those student-athletes with whom I shared such special experiences. They have taught me so much and changed my life.”

The Wake job opened when the school let Danny Manning go. The Manning saga isn’t over yet. It’s been reported that Wake believes it only owes Manning a portion of  his $15M payout.

Wake has struggled with coaches since letting go Dino Gaudio. Over Gaudio’s three seasons at Wake, the Demon Deacons went 61-31 and made two trips to the NCAA tournament.

Jeff Bzdelik replaced Gaudio and the program went south almost immediately. After four seasons, Bzdelik (51-76) was replaced with Danny Manning.

Manning left Tulsa after two winning seasons and one NCAA tournament appearance. In his six years at Wake, the Demon Deacons only made the tournament once. It was the only season Wake finished over .500. Manning would finish with a 78-111 record at Wake.

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