UNC Basketball: Sterling Manley 2017-18 season preview
By Zack Pearson
Will freshman Sterling Manley find a way into UNC’s rotation this season?
The North Carolina Tar Heels are looking to replace a lot of lost production from their 2016-17 national championship team.
UNC lost key frontcourt players Isaiah Hicks, Tony Bradley Jr. and Kennedy Meeks, along with wing Justin Jackson. They now welcome in a 2017 recruiting class that features some new faces in the frontcourt as Roy Williams looks to find his next recruiting gem.
Freshman Sterling Manley committed to North Carolina on October 16, 2016 becoming the fourth player to commit to the Tar Heels in the class joining Jalek Felton, Brandon Huffman, and Andrew Platek.
The 6-foot-10 power forward was a three-star recruit out of Pickerington, Ohio and played high school ball with 2019 UNC commit Jeremiah Francis.
For the Ohio native, he was extremely excited when he spoke with Williams on the phone as the coach wanted to come visit him.
“I’m was geeking out. I’m was smiling from ear to ear,” Manley said via CBS Sports.
Manley picked the Tar Heels over West Virginia, Xavier and Purdue after taking his official visit during the 2016 Late Night With Roy event.
Now he looks to earn some valuable playing time on a team that will have some to offer up this season.
2017-18 role and preview
Manley will enter the season with a chance to be a key contributor right away for the Tar Heels.
With only Luke Maye returning in this frontcourt, it opens up a lot of chances for players like Manley, Huffman and Garrison Brooks.
If Williams wants to go with a smaller lineup he could send out Joel Berry, Theo Pinson, Kenny Williams, Cam Johnson and Luke Maye. That would leave the undersized Maye at center and could create a problem for the Tar Heels.
If UNC has a starting spot open at center then it would be Manley, Huffman and Brooks competing for it. Brooks is considered the favorite to be a starter, which would leave Manley and Huffman fighting for playing time off the bench.
Strengths
One of the biggest strengths for Manley is his rebounding.
If you’ve watched UNC over the years, you’ve seen a team that dominated the glass against its opponents which led to success. With their offseason losses, UNC is looking to fill the void on the glass.
Manley has great hands and can really go up and get the basketball. Defensively he can really protect the rim and clog up the lanes for UNC. His length will really help UNC down low, giving them a big man to clog the lane.
Bold prediction
I don’t think Manley will will the starting job at center but I do think he finds his way into the rotation.
Manley can come off the bench as that second big man to spell Maye or Brooks and average 2-3 rebounds per game.
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His game needs to be polished a little more but he’s got a very high ceiling and can make a big transition later in his UNC career.