Manning snags first 2017 commit

Danny Manning and his staff have been on a roll the last few weeks, landing pieces that will help the basketball program both in the short and long runs. After getting commitments from two graduate transfers, Wake Forest received word on Monday that small forward Melo Eggleston will be a part of the class of 2017.

The Deacons have been after Eggleston, who is from Baltimore, for a long time, and their relationship paid off. Eggleston had offers from Baylor, UConn, Georgia Tech, Miami, Memphis, UNLV and others, but he chose Wake Forest largely because of assistant Randolph Childress’ recruiting work since Eggleston was a freshman.

“Coach Childress has stuck by me throughout everything,” Eggleston said in his tweet announcing his commitment. “Words cannot describe how much he has helped me and my family. The whole staff has been in my corner from day one, and never backed off.”

Eggleston broke his foot during his junior year, which may have caused some programs to waver and his ranking to drop. How did that impact his decision, and where do the Deacons go from here?