Danny Manning said Tuesday he expects to return to Wake Forest despite another underachieving season at the school.
"Absolutely," Manning told reporters in Greensboro, North Carolina, where his Demon Deacons (13-18) saw their campaign end with an 81-72 loss to Pittsburgh in the opening round of the ACC tournament.
Questions have surrounded Manning's job status in recent seasons.
In his six years at Wake Forest since being hired from Tulsa, Manning is 78-111 overall and 30-80 in ACC regular-season play. His .413 winning percentage is the fifth-worst mark of the 14 coaches who've spent at least two seasons at the school. He would be the only Demon Deacons coach to have at least 175 games and still have a losing record.
Under Manning, Wake Forest has made the NCAA tournament just once, losing in a First Four game to Kansas State in 2017.
Nevertheless, Manning said Tuesday he likes the progress the program has made.
"I think our team has definitely improved,'' Manning said. "I think if you look at the individuals that are on our team and how they have come from where they were last year to where they're at right now, I think without question there's been improvement.
"I definitely feel like we have taken some steps, not as many as I would like, not where I'm content with where we're at, but I certainly feel like we have taken those steps in a direction that I want our program to go in.''