Steve Weinman, who has spent the past 13 years in the Bulls‘ front office, has been hired by Wake Forest University and will serve as the general manager for the Demon Deacons’ men’s and women’s basketball programs, the school announced on Thursday in a press release.
According to Wake Forest’s announcement, Weinman will also hold the title of senior associate athletics director for analytics in his new position. He’ll work closely with the men’s and women’s basketball head coaches on “roster construction including recruiting strategy, transfer portal evaluation, resource allocation and planning.”
Initially hired by the Bulls as a basketball operations assistant, Weinman earned multiple promotions during his time in Chicago, most recently serving as an assistant general manager and VP of basketball strategy and analytics. His responsibilities during his stint with the franchise included managing the salary cap, scouting pro and amateur players, and leading the club’s analytics department.
As a result of the professionalization of college sports, NCAA basketball programs have been increasingly inclined to target NBA executives for GM roles, with Weinman the latest veteran executive to leave an NBA position for a college job.
The most notable example of an NBA-to-NCAA move in recent months was probably former Hawks general manager Wes Wilcox – then a high-ranking executive in the Kings’ front office – leaving Sacramento to become the GM at the University of Utah.