By R.L. Bynum
Brady Manek’s performance for the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA Summer League wasn’t enough to earn him an NBA contract.
Zaligiris Kaunas, a team based in Kaunas, Lithuania, the reigning champion of the Lithuanian Basketball League, signed Manek on Friday to a 1+1 contract, meaning he’ll play there next season with an option to play a second season.
“Super-excited to be a part of this organization,” Manek said in a social media video. “I’ve heard great things about the fan base. I heard great things about Lithuania. Just super-excited to be there. Ready to get back in the gym, get back to work and take on this new adventure.”
Zaliris Kaunas went 28–5 last season.
The only other American on Zaligiris Kaunas’ current roster is former Texas Tech guard Keenan Evans, who is 26 years old. Former Wake Forest and George Washington forward Tyler Cavanaugh was released in June and former Texas point guard Isaiah Taylor’s contract ran out.
There are four other forwards on its roster.
In four Summer League games for Atlanta, Manek averaged 18.7 minutes, 12.8 average (51 points), was 18 of 36 from the floor (50%), 8 of 21 from 3-point range (38.1%) and collected 18 rebounds, three assists and three blocks.
Manek played last season 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.
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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