Wake Forest hires Tulsa’s Danny Manning as coach

Danny Manning grew up watching Wake Forest play games at the Greensboro Coliseum, memories that linger in his mind all these years later. He never thought one day he’d coach the Demon Deacons.

Manning, the former Kansas star who spent the past two seasons coaching Tulsa, was hired Friday as Wake Forest’s basketball coach. He’ll be introduced at a news conference next week on campus in Winston-Salem, N.C., a short drive from where Manning grew up.

“I spent a lot of my formative childhood years in North Carolina,” Manning told The Associated Press on Friday at AT&T Stadium, the site of this weekend’s Final Four.

“I spent the majority of my life in Kansas,” Manning said, “but this was a chance to be a part of a university that I share the same values and history with.”

His hiring ends Wake Forest’s two-week search for a replacement for Jeff Bzdelik, who resigned under intense public pressure following four mostly unremarkable seasons.

Manning, who was 38-29 with two postseason berths in two seasons at Tulsa, interviewed this week and toured the campus in Winston-Salem on Wednesday before taking the job two days later.

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North Carolina State sophomore point guard Tyler Lewis has confirmed he’s transferring to Butler. N.C. State announced last weekend that Lewis would look to play elsewhere.

In a phone interview with the Associated Press, Lewis said he looked at Purdue, Xavier, Charlotte, Gonzaga and UAB before choosing Butler. ESPN first reported Lewis’ decision. Lewis said he informed the Butler coaches of his choice earlier Friday.

The 5-foot-11 guard split time with touted freshman Anthony “Cat” Barber before taking over the starting job for the last 14 games.

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UNLV forward Roscoe Smith, the Mountain West Conference’s leading rebounder last season, will forgo his senior season to enter the NBA draft. Runnin’ Rebels Coach Dave Rice made the announcement Friday.

Smith averaged 10.9 rebounds a game during the 2013-14 season and 11.1 points. He had 16 double-doubles last season.

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Missouri’s Zach Price has been suspended from the team after being arrested twice for allegedly assaulting his roommate and a woman. Price sat out last season after transferring from Louisville.

Columbia Police Sgt. Joe Bernhard says the victims reported that Price rammed their car Wednesday afternoon. That investigation was ongoing when Price was arrested on another alleged encounter with the same victims Thursday morning. Police say he hit his male roommate in the face then pushed the woman to the ground.