By R.L. Bynum
Brady Manek will play for the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA Summer League with another chance to prove he belongs in the NBA.
Manek, who played for the Charlotte Hornets in last season’s Summer League, will be part of a 15-team Atlanta roster that includes former Duke guard A.J. Griffin, former N.C. State guard Jarkel Joiner and former Florida State forward Mfiondu Kabengele. Manek, 24, is the second-oldest on the roster behind Kabengele, who is 25.
Manek joins fellow UNC alums Leaky Black, who is with the Charlotte Hornets, and Pete Nance, part of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ team, as Summer League players. Garrison Brooks will play for the New Orleans Pelicans’ team with former N.C. State guard Dereon Seabron.
The first of four Atlanta games is at 10:30 p.m. Friday at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas against the Sacramento Kings in a game televised on NBATV.
Manek played five games for the Hornets’ team last summer, averaging 14.7 minutes and seven points while shooting 30.4% from 3-point range.
After being unable to earn an NBA contract, Manek played for the Perth Wildcats in the National Basketball League in Australia. In 28 games, he averaged 27.5 minutes, 12.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists while shooting 46% from the floor and hitting 40.7% of his 3-point attempts.
His best game for Perth was 25 points and six 3-pointers on Nov. 17 in a 94–89 road victory over the Adelaide 36ers.
The Wildcats finished 15–13, winning a play-in qualifier 106–99 against SEM Phoenix before losing a second play-in game 91–78 against Cairns to get eliminated.
After the Australian season, Manek joined Tofas Bursa late in its Turkish Basketball Super League season, playing 11 games. Tofas Bursa finished 15–15 but was 8–3 after Manek joined the team.
He averaged 33 minutes, 15.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting 42% from the floor and 34.9% from behind the arc for Tofas Bursa, which finished seventh in the league. His season-high for Tofas Bursa was 23 points and four 3-pointers in its 95–88 win April 16 over Merkezefendi.
Manek scored at least five 3-pointers seven times combined, playing in Australia and Turkey.
In his one season at Carolina, he averaged 30.4 minutes, 15.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists in helping the Tar Heels advance to the NCAA championship game. As a Tar Heel, he shot 49.3% from the floor and made 40.3% of his 3-point attempts.
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