Wake Forest is not in a hurry

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Wellman says WFU's search is 'progressing well'


Anyone arranging weekend plans around the possible introduction of a new basketball coach at Wake Forest University should make other plans.

Ron Wellman, the director of athletics who is leading the search, said Thursday that no announcement will be made over the next several days. The school is looking for a successor to Jeff Bzdelik, who resigned March 20 after four seasons as Wake Forest's head coach.

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"It's progressing well," Wellman said. "We're very pleased with where we are right now. There isn't anything (planned) in the very new future, and I'm talking days."

In reaction to the possibility that a new coach will be named early next week, Wellman expressed doubt.

"There isn't anything there at all," he said. "So I wouldn't anticipate anything for a while yet.

"But I'm very pleased with the progress we're making on the search."

Wellman declined to discuss any potential candidates, including Shaka Smart of Virginia Commonwealth, who has been identified by widespread media reports as one of Wake Forest's primary targets.

When asked if the job has been offered to anyone, Wellman deflected the question.

"The search is going well," he said. "There are some really good basketball coaches out there, I can tell you that."

Wellman said at the media conference announcing Bzdelik's resignation that he didn't expect the search for a successor to end quickly. He mentioned the need to talk with a number of coaches, including those whose teams are still playing in the postseason.

He said Thursday that the timeline has not changed.

"It just depends on the availability of the candidates," Wellman said. "It's their time schedule more than our time schedule."