Wake Forest signs Steve Forbes to 'long-term' contract extension

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Wake Forest says second-year coach Steve Forbes has signed a "long-term" contract extension as he leads a rapid rise for the long-struggling Demon Deacons program.

The school announced the deal Monday, the same day the Atlantic Coast Conference picked Forbes as coach of the year. The private university didn't release terms of the extension.

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Forbes said the negotiations were stress-free.

"I didn't have to go to them," Forbes said in a video teleconference with reporters. "They came to me. ... I never lost one ounce of sleep about it. I knew (athletics director John Currie) and my agent would get it done. And they did.

"It wasn't a commitment just to me. It was a commitment to my staff, my players and the entire program."

Forbes was the only hire made by a power-conference men's basketball program as the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the sports world in spring 2020, then labored through a pandemic-altered first season with six wins.

This year's Demon Deacons were picked to finish 13th in the 15-team ACC. Instead, Wake Forest (23-8) has its highest win total since the 2008-09 season and holds the No. 5 seed for this week's ACC Tournament in New York.

FILE - Wake Forest head coach Steve Forbes reacts during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Duke in Durham, N.C., Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022. Wake Forest says second-year coach Steve Forbes has signed what it calls a "long-term" contract extension as he has led a rapid rise for the long-struggling Demon Deacons program. The school announced the deal Monday, March 7, 2022, the same day the Atlantic Coast Conference announced Forbes