An early prediction of UNC Basketball’s 2018-19 starting lineup
By Grant Hughes
Sixth Man: Sterling Manley
It was a rough start to the season, and expectedly so, for freshman big man Sterling Manley.
After major knee injuries in high school, Manley never got fully conditioned his freshman season at UNC. Despite all of this, Manley finished the season strong. He had arguably his best game of the season against Syracuse where he shot 4-of-5 from the field to score 12 points and added six rebounds.
He heads into the offseason with loads of untapped potential. His huge frame and soft touch give him the opportunity to develop into a dominant big. He already showed signs of his potential by leading UNC in field goal percentage among scholarship players.
If Manley has a good offseason, he could find himself the day-one starter alongside Maye in UNC’s front court. Starter or not, Manley will play a huge role this season.
At times last year, UNC desperately needed a dominant post presence and neither Manley nor Brooks were simply ready enough.
One of the two will need to step up if UNC is to make another deep tournament run. The Tar Heels cannot afford to go into the season with one reliable post player; they are not built to last that way.
Whether it be this year or sometime in the near future, I expect Manley and Brooks to become another one of Roy’s great success stories with big men.