Manning was responsible for an impressive recruiting feat at UCF in his first season. When he arrived in Orlando as part of head coach Joi Williams[apos] staff, he had less than two months to assemble much of the team. He recruited eight players during that span who would all play critical minutes in the 2007-08 campaign. He was a large part of the team[apos]s building process and was responsible for recruiting Tia Lewis, the 2008 Conference USA Freshman of the Year, who finished the season ranked fifth in the nation in rebounds per game. She also finished second in the country in double-doubles by a freshman.
Manning[apos]s recruiting class made up the nucleus of the 2007-08 UCF squad, which saw nine freshmen playing regularly and many times included a starting lineup consisting of all freshmen. The Knights[apos] rookies played 91.0 percent of their minutes last season, which made up the largest proportion of minutes played by freshmen of any team in the nation. UCF finished the year with its most wins in three seasons.
In addition to handling the team[apos]s recruiting efforts, Manning also was in charge of coaching the Knights[apos] perimeter players. Under his direction, freshman guard Marshay White led the team and ranked 11th in Conference USA in assists per game. White also led the team in scoring in conference games only with an 11.9 ppg average.
Manning was also responsible for recruiting Aisha Patrick to UCF[apos]s 2008 class. Patrick was named the most valuable player of her high school conference and helped lead Rockledge High School to its first FHSAA Final Four appearance since the 1977 campaign. Patrick was a first-team All-Space Coast selection her senior year. He also inked Racine Davis, a 6-foot-3 forward from Plantation, Fla., to his 2008 signing class.
Manning joined UCF from Murray State (Ky.), where he spent one year as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for Williams. He was the team[apos]s recruiting coordinator and was responsible for the on-court development of the post players. Under his guidance, center Joi Scott was named a Kodak/WBCA All-America Honorable Mention selection and the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year after averaging 21.7 points per game and 8.5 rebounds per game.
Murray State finished the 2006-07 season with a 21-10 record and earned a bid to the Women[apos]s National Invitation Tournament, marking just the second postseason appearance in the school[apos]s history. Manning helped Williams lay a solid foundation for Murray State that is still paying dividends for the Racers. This past season, with all the necessary building blocks in place, Murray State advanced to its first NCAA Tournament in school history and won its first conference tournament in the 37-year history of the program.
Prior to joining the staff at Murray State, Manning was an assistant coach at Miller Grove High School in Lithonia, Ga. He helped the varsity team to a 21-10 record in just its second year of existence. Miller Grove advanced to the round of eight in its state tournament with a core of mostly sop4omores and juniors. The junior varsity squad, for which Manning served as head coach, went 14-3 under his direction.
Manning spent two years as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Louisville from 2003-05. During that time, the Cardinals posted a record of 42-19 and advanced to the 2005 Conference USA Championship game. Louisville earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament in 2005 after participating in the WNIT the season prior.
Manning, a native of Stockton, Calif., graduated from Clark Atlanta in 2002 with a bachelor of arts degree in psychology. He also holds a master[apos]s degree in education from Louisville. He is married to the former Nakaya Primus.
4/14/08