By R.L. Bynum
Hubert Davis dipped in the transfer portal again on Friday, luring Oklahoma forward Brady Manek, a former four-star recruit, to Carolina.
Manek, who entered the transfer portal on April 2, announced his decision on Twitter Friday afternoon.
The 6–foot–8 stretch-four forward will be a graduate transfer with one year of eligibility after playing four seasons with the Sooners.
“Brady is the perfect player for what we wanted and what we needed,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said. “We needed a player that had size, but from an offensive standpoint, had the versatility to score around the basket with either hand and be just as effective on the perimeter. And that’s what Brady has done for four seasons at Oklahoma. He’s not just a shooter, even though he’s a great 3-point shooter. He can handle the ball, can put it on the floor and make plays and is an excellent passer. Plus, he’s a really good defender and rebounder.”
Although he hit 37.5% of his 3-point attempts last season in starting 20 of 25 games and collected 48 3-pointers, he only averaged 10.8 points and 5.0 rebounds.
Manek has 235 career 3-pointers. For perspective, only two Carolina players have made more in their careers: Marcus Paige (299) and Joel Berry II (266).
He is the tallest player in Big 12 history to with 200 career 3-pointers and became the first player in Big 12 history with 200 3-pointers and 100 blocks.
Last season on Dec. 3 against Texas-San Antonio, Manek collected 29 points and made 8 of 11 3-point attempts.
The UNC school single-game record is eight 3-pointers, which has been done six times, the last by Rashad McCants against Clemson on March 2, 2004.
Manek, who is from Hannah, Okla. and turns 23 on Sept. 4, had eight games last season with at least three 3-pointers, including five in a 19-point game against Missouri in an NCAA tournament victory on March 20 and four at Oklahoma State in a 20-point game that the Sooners lost on March 1.
During Manek’s junior season, he had seven 3-pointers twice: in a 31-point game in a Jan. 18, 2020, victory over TCU and in a 30-point game on Feb. 1 in a win over Oklahoma State.
Manek, looking a bit like a young Larry Bird in the photo to the left, has eight career double-doubles, the last coming in a 21-point, 10-rebound game in a loss at Baylor on Jan. 20.
Manek blocked 19 shots last season, including three against Texas Tech on Dec. 22 and on March 11 at Kansas.
In his last game for the Sooners, an 87–71 loss to Gonzaga, Manek was 1 of 8 from the floor, 1 of 3 from 3-point range and finished with three points.
Manek is 1–1 against ACC teams. He collected 17 points, five 3-pointers and eight rebounds in an 85–80 victory over Notre Dame at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 4, 2018. He had 13 points and five rebounds in a 63–51 loss to Virginia in Columbia, S.C., on March 24 in the second round of the NCAA tournament as the Cavaliers were on their run to the NCAA title.
His addition is big considering that Garrison Brooks left for Mississippi State and Day’Ron Sharpe has entered the NBA draft in addition to Walker Miller and Sterling Manley entering the transfer portal.
Armando Bacot has entered his name for NBA draft consideration but didn’t react on Twitter like somebody who will be leaving the UNC program.
UNC’s men’s basketball roster
The Tar Heels have two more available scholarships.
| Year | Player | P | Height | Weight |
| So. | Caleb Love | PG | 6–4 | 195 |
| So. | RJ Davis | 2/PG | 6–0 | 160 |
| RS So. | Anthony Harris | 2 | 6-4 | 196 |
| Fr. | D’Marco Dunn | 3 | 6–4 | 180 |
| So. | Kerwin Walton | 3 | 6–5 | 205 |
| So. | Puff Johnson | 3 | 6–8 | 190 |
| Sr, | Leaky Black | 3 | 6–8 | 195 |
| Fr. | Dontrez Styles | 4 | 6–6 | 190 |
| Jr. | Justin McKoy | 4 | 6–8 | 225 |
| Grad | Brady Manek | 4 | 6-8 | 231 |
| Jr. | * Armando Bacot | 5 | 6–10 | 240 |
| Walk-ons | ||||
| So. | Creighton Lebo | G | 6–1 | 160 |
| RS Sr. | Ryan McAdoo | F | 6–5 | 200 |
| Jr. | Duwe Farris | F | 6–5 | 205 |
Photo credits: 2021 NCAA photo (top), University of Oklahoma
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