What is Former Tar Heel Brady Manek's Legacy?

Brady Manek.

The six-foot-nine "stretch four" known to all of Tar Heel fans for playing in the frontcourt alongside Armando Bacot and knocking down three-pointers played a pivotal role in Hubert Davis' first year as UNC's head coach. Before setting foot in Chapel Hill, Manek played for the Oklahoma Sooners for four seasons, then elected to choose North Carolina as his final destination of college.

Well, his one season playing led to countless eventful games from Coach K's final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, every single NCAAT game from Marquette, to his 26-point outing against then-defending national champions, the Baylor Bears, before getting ejected.

Then, there was UCLA and his putback dunk, followed by timely three-point shot making, and Saint Peter's (ending the cinderella story), all before what possibly may be the only time UNC and Duke meet in the Final Four, finishing Coach K's career as a college head coach with a loss (his first and last being to North Carolina).

All things considered, is Manek the most impactful transfer Coach Davis has had to date? Well, after Manek's season, Pete Nance came along, but did not have quite the showing fans expected (maybe Manek set the bar too high, given what had happened the year prior). Followed by Cormac Ryan and Harrison Ingram, who stood out in their way during the 2023-2024 season, respectively.

Is it fair to critique the impact of a player based on the overall team results instead of only individual stats? Yes, I believe so, especially considering the lack of depth Coach Davis had in his first year — creating the "Iron Five" title (due ot the countless minutes spent on the floor together) dedicated to the starting five of RJ Davis, Caleb Love, Leaky Black, and Bacot, on top of Manek.

Former Tar Heel Puff Johnson was a reliable sixth man, plus Dontrez Styles and Justin McKoy stepped up when it mattered the most (second-round against Baylor with Manek out of the game and Love fouled out), but not major rotation pieces that relieved the starters.

UNC did not have the best regular season record (but did have a valuable win against Duke on the road), as it required a postseason surge as an eight-seed to make the run it did.

At the end of the season, the Harrah, Oklahoma native his final collegiate year with 15.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. In addition, 49.3% shooting overall and 40.3% from beyond the arc. However, he did have some trouble at the free throw line, marking 69.7%.

However, this coming season features a handful of transfers, courtesy of the work by General Manager Jim Tanner and Coach Davis. And maybe, one of them will have a more impactful season than Manek.

Until then, Manek stands as the most impactful transfer Coach Davis has had, in my opinion.

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