Brady Manek shares message with North Carolina fans following title game loss
Brady Manek only spent one season with the North Carolina Tar Heels, but it was a memorable one that neither Manek or Tar Heels fans will be forgetting anytime soon. Following North Carolina’s loss in the National Championship on Monday, Manek took to Twitter to share a heartfelt thank you message to fans of the Tar Heels.
“Just want to say thank you to Coach Davis, my teammates, the entire staff, and every Brady Manek fan out there,” Manek tweeted. “This year was UNBELIEVABLE and I got to experience some of the greatest moments a basketball player could ask for! I am and will forever be a TAR HEEL!”
Manek quickly turned into a fan favorite in Chapel Hill. He got stronger as the season went along, and turned into a go-to offensive weapon for North Carolina over the course of the final stretch of the year. On the season, Manek played in 39 games with 27 starts, averaging 30.4 minutes per game. He averaged 15.1 points with 6.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists, shooting 49.3% from the field and 40.3% from three-point range.
Manek’s 15.1 points per game were the third most on the team, trailing Armando Bacot and Caleb Love. But the presence of Manek proved to be extremely valuable, especially during the NCAA Tournament. Manek scored 54 points over the opening weekend of the tournament, and scored at least 13 points in each of North Carolina’s six games. In the title game, he had 13 points with 13 rebounds and four blocks.
Manek needed just one season to leave a lasting impression on North Carolina
This North Carolina team is going to be remembered forever, even without a national title victory. The Tar Heels defeated Duke in the final game of the regular season, which was Mike Krzyzewski’s final game in Cameron Indoor. Then, the two teams met in the Final Four, and UNC again came out on top with a big victory, advancing to the championship game and ending the career of Krzyzewski.
And all of that was done under first-year head coach Hubert Davis, who took over for former Tar Heels coach Roy Williams.
Manek played a big part in this year’s success at North Carolina. He previously spent the first four years of his career with the Oklahoma Sooners, playing a key role over the course of all four years. Now, Manek has run out of collegiate eligibility and will be moving on. But he wanted to make sure that he expressed his appreciation for Tar Heels fans before he went out.