Danny Manning is already winning at Wake Forest

It’s hard to imagine how a coach with only two years of experience could take a school that’s smothered by blue bloods and mired in a four-year streak of futility and make it a prime destination for recruits overnight.

But that’s exactly what Danny Manning seems to be doing at Wake Forest. Manning has yet to coach a game in Winston-Salem, but he’s already won big on the recruiting trail.

In the last month alone, Wake Forest has secured three commitments, all ranked as four-star recruits by ESPN.com. Doral Moore, the most high profile of the three, announced his decision last week and is currently the third-highest rated 2015 center to commit to an ACC school, behind Chase Jeter (Duke) and Moustapha Diagne (Syracuse).

The Demon Deacons may also have a shot at one of the prime targets in 2016.

Giles is from Winston-Salem, which of course helps, but it would be seen as a major coup if he chose to stay home and turn down offers from Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina and Duke.

Unlikely? Maybe. But Manning has already out-recruited some big names. Moore had offers from Florida, Kentucky and Ohio State. Four-star point guard Bryant Crawford had offers from Georgetown and Indiana.

Manning’s appeal is obvious. He’s a young guy who had a great collegiate career, leading Kansas to a national championship, and turned pro, where he was a two-time All-Star and the first overall pick in the 1988 draft.

In his short time as a head coach, Manning has enjoyed some success as well. Though he didn’t make waves recruiting at Tulsa in his two years there, he led the Golden Hurricane to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in a decade last year while guiding them to a 21-13 record in Conference USA.

Add his basketball success to the allure of playing in the ACC and perhaps seeing more immediate minutes than most freshmen at Duke or Carolina, and Wake Forest becomes a solid option.

Playing time is a prospect that Manning has already highlighted, according to the Winston-Salem Journal.

“Coach Manning said that since I’m in his first recruiting class, I’m going to get heavy minutes my first year - and possibly start,” Collins said. “Starting is definitely a big-time option, and definitely heavy minutes.”

That’s not likely to change, even with Moore’s commitment. The Winston-Salem Journal also reports that Manning clearly laid things out for his potential recruits: Moore is a center, and Collins will play power forward.

Crawford, meanwhile, will come in and get a chance to play alongside (or behind) guard Codi Miller-McIntyre. The rising junior led the Demon Deacons in scoring and assists last year and has two years of eligibility remaining.

In other words, things are looking up at Wake. Now imagine the chatter along Tobacco Road if Manning could land Giles, or one of his other big-name 2016 targets like Dennis Smith Jr.? It’s not likely, but you could bet a certain couple Hall of Fame coaches would be taken by surprise.

But that’s all getting a little too far ahead. Manning has yet to coach a game at Wake Forest, so the program still falls short of being relevant in the 2014 ACC landscape. However, if the last few weeks are any indication, then for the first time in a while, the future is bright in Winston-Salem.