Danny Manning and Wake Forest are parading through purgatory

Photo by Lance King/Getty ImagesWake Forest’s decision in the spring to retain Danny Manning didn’t seem grounded in anything basketball-related, but rather a move motivated simply to save money on his buyout. It’s not like the roster was in pristine shape, that there were developing stars ready to right the program overnight. And without that, Manning’s return most likely meant another year of purgatory—we’ve well established what he can and can’t do as a head coach.

The Demon Deacons are coming off back-to-back 11-20 (4-14) seasons, and their prospects for 2020 aren’t a whole lot better: KenPom projects another losing campaign in the offing. In the meantime, Wake’s recruiting suffers:…