Hubert Davis pays Oklahoma transfer Brady Manek the ultimate compliment
Hubert Davis is no stranger to Chapel Hill. In 2021, he’s entering his first season as the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels. As he adjusts to his new role, he’s not alone — Oklahoma transfer Brady Manek is going through a transition as well.
Manek was one of the bigger additions from the transfer portal the North Carolina coaching staff brought in. He was a huge piece in his time with the Oklahoma Sooners. In 2021, he’ll help ease the losses of big-men North Carolina had this off-season.
In a press conference earlier this week, Davis paid Manek the ultimate compliment.
“I am upset that I’m only going to be able to coach Brady Manek for one year,” stated Davis. “He’s been absolutely fantastic.
“Not just on the court — his personality, his demeanor, his experience. I don’t know where this team would be without Brady on this team. I love coaching him, I love being around him, I love his family. He has been a huge piece of this team. He’s going to be an unbelievable player for us this year.”
Evidently, Davis believe he has a gem in Manek. As he adjusts to his new role with the Tar Heels, having a player of Manek’s caliber will only help Davis find success.
At Oklahoma, Manek played for the Sooners for four season. In that time, he stuffed the stat sheet — accumulating 1,459 points, 681 points, 101 blocked shots, and 61 steals.
North Carolina season outlook
Like many other college basketball teams across the country, the Tarheels were hit hard by defections in the transfer portal. Their talented center, Walker Kessler, was just starting to blossom — but he ultimately decided to transfer to Auburn.
Another key big man for the Tar Heels, Garrison Brooks decided to transfer to Mississippi State using his extra year of eligibility provided by the COVID pandemic. He nearly averaged a double-double his junior season at UNC, and was voted the ACC’s Most Improved Player. That improvement earned him ACC Preseason Player of the Year honors for the 2020-2021 season. He finished with 1,276 points for his North Carolina career.
Armando Bacot Jr. is the only big man returning for the Tar Heels, and he looks like he’s been hitting the weight room in the off-season. Last season as a sophomore, he averaged 12.3 points per game while bringing down 7.8 rebounds per game. He led UNC in points, rebounds, blocks, and shooting percentage. Still, his game has plenty of room for growth and development. The Tar Heels will need him to step up and in a big way in the 2021-2022 season.
Finally, another key starter returning is point guard Caleb Love. The former McDonalds-All American really started to shine as the season progressed last season. The former five-star prospect scored in double figures in six of his final seven games last season as a freshman, including a career high 25 point eruption against Duke.