UNC Basketball: Former Tar Heel to forego college, pursue pro career

Former UNC basketball player Sterling Manley has decided to forego his remaining college eligibility in order to pursue a professional career.

Sterling Manley entered the NCAA transfer portal in late March following the Tar Heels’ first round loss to the Wisconsin Badgers in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

The news of Manley’s departure came less than a week before former UNC head coach Roy Williams announced his own plans to leave Chapel Hill, that after an 18-year stint with the Tar Heels that saw him win nearly 500 games, make five Final Four appearances and capture three national titles.

"“First I want to thank God for allowing me to live my dreams and play basketball at the University of North Carolina. I have enjoyed my time here,” Manley said in a statement when leaving UNC. “The relationships I’ve developed are priceless. My teammates will always be my brothers and I will always be a Tar Heel.“My journey has been a little different, but with God, the great staff here at UNC, and my awesome family, I have been able to persevere and continue to live my dream. I’ve been blessed to have four years at the University of North Carolina and it has been nothing short of amazing, but with lots of prayer and the guidance of my family, I’ve decided to take my talents and move elsewhere after I graduate this year.”"

Manley had been with the Tar Heels since the fall of 2017, and was a key reserve on the Tar Heels’ 26-win team that lost in the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 32 just a year after cutting down the nets and hoisting the championship trophy in Arizona. Unfortunately for Manley and the Tar Heels, the big man from Pickerington, Ohio would appear in just 21 games over the next three years thanks to a slew of injuries that kept him sidelined.

And after struggling to stay healthy and see minutes on the court from 2018 to 2021, Manley finally decided that a chance of scenery was in order. We assumed that the change in scenery would be on another college campus somewhere, but it appears that Manley will now look to try his hand at professional basketball.

His decision comes after strongly considering attending the University of Minnesota, but opting to go the pro route following some impressive performances at the recent Tampa Bay Pro Combine that caught the eye of NBA scouts and coaches.

Manley, who averaged 5.4 points and 3.6 rebounds over 37 appearances as a freshman at North Carolina, seemed destined for a starting role with the Tar Heels as a sophomore. But that’s when the injuries took hold, and as Manley stated in a 2020 school-released interview, he felt like he was “playing on one leg” for much of his second season in Chapel Hill. He played just 18 games that season, redshirted the entire 2019-20 season, and then played four minutes over three appearances during the 2020-21 campaign.

We’re wishing Sterling all the best in his future endeavors, and hope to see him healthy and on a professional court in the near future.

Check back with Keeping It Heel for all the latest on that, and everything on the UNC basketball program.