Covering Carolina sports beyond just men's basketball and football — with the most complete women's basketball coverage
Coming off a Sweet 16 appearance last season, North Carolina’s women’s basketball team faces a challenging nonconference schedule that includes two opponents who also made it that far in last season’s NCAA tournament. The Tar Heels (25-7 last season) open at home on Nov. 9 against Jackson State, which won the SWAC and made the NCAA tournament.
Brady Manek has found his next basketball home Down Under. On Monday, the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League in Australia officially signed Manek, who had an outstanding fifth college season at Carolina last year in helping the Tar Heels reach the NCAA championship game.
North Carolina’s men’s basketball team has completed its summer practices and released the team’s official 17-player roster for the 2022–23 season on Wednesday. The roster shows that fifth-year wing Leaky Black, senior center Armando Bacot and fifth-year senior Pete Nance are all listed as an inch taller than last season.
CHAPEL HILL — As Armando Bacot enters his senior season and continues to enjoy a fun-filled offseason, he doesn’t sound like a player thinking much about using the extra season available to him because of NCAA COVID-19 rules. His focus is on Carolina winning a national championship he narrowly missed out on last season and diversifying his game at the urging of Coach Hubert Davis to better position himself for a career in the NBA.
CHAPEL HILL — Pete Nance brings a versatile talent set to Carolina for his fifth college season but also a quality that his numbers can’t convey: a high basketball IQ. His new Tar Heels teammates were happy to convey that after seeing him in pickup games and practices in the Smith Center in the last month.
Day’Ron Sharpe and Justin Jackson finished their NBA Summer League play Saturday night with Sharpe’s Brooklyn team knocking off Jackson’s Boston team 102–96 and Sharpe putting up his fourth double-double in five games.
Carolina’s home non-conference men’s basketball schedule will include games against UNCW, College of Charleston, Gardner-Webb, James Madison and The Citadel. The Tar Heels’ non-conference schedule was announced Friday, as well as an Oct. 28 exhibition game at the Smith Center against Johnson C. Smith.
Last summer, Coach Hubert Davis worked hard to keep a player and it worked out pretty well even after he was unable to do that. It’s hard to know now but that pattern may be repeating itself this summer.
Day’Ron Sharpe has averaged a double-double during the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas and kept that momentum going on Thursday while Justin Jackson had another solid game. Sharpe collected 20 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks Thursday as his Brooklyn team easily defeated Minnesota 102–83.
Brady Manek continues to make a solid contribution to the Charlotte Hornets’ Summer League team even though his playing time continues to be limited. In 15 minutes off the bench Wednesday afternoon, Manek contributed 12 points and seven rebounds and was +12 in the Hornets’ 91–80 victory in Las Vegas over Cleveland, pushing their record to 2–1.
tarheeltribune.com 