UNC Basketball: Former Tar Heel headed to Windy City

A former UNC basketball player is headed to Chicago to participate with the Bulls’ Summer League team.

Former North Carolina big man Sterling Manley has been named to the Chicago Bulls’ 2021 Summer League team. The 6-foot-11, 255-pound power forward intends to take full advantage of the opportunity to play in front of NBA scouts and general managers this August, as he hopes to keep alive his dream of playing professional basketball.

Manley left the University of North Carolina in late March following the Tar Heels’ first round NCAA Tournament loss to the Wisconsin Badgers. He initially entered the NCAA transfer portal, but ultimately made the decision to forego his final season of college eligibility in favor of a shot at playing in the NBA.

Manley, who averaged 5.4 points and 3.6 rebounds over 37 appearances as a freshman at North Carolina, was a near lock to start for the Tar Heels in year two. Unfortunately, though, Manley was hampered with injuries for the majority of the next three seasons, appearing in just 21 games from 2018 to 2021. That included 18 injury-plagued games as a sophomore, zero as a junior and just three toward the end of his final year in Chapel Hill.

Manley looked really good in the pre-draft workouts that he participated in earlier this summer, but he still never heard his name called on draft night. That has nothing to do with his talent or motor, as both are off the charts when he’s healthy. But it’s said health, or lackthereof, that has kept Manley on the bench and out of the spotlight over the past several years.

Now, with his health intact and an opportunity to perform in front of NBA front office personnel, we’ll see if the Pickerington, Ohio native finds his way onto a team next season. Manley and the Bulls will begin Summer League play on August 9 against the New Orleans Pelicans in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Check back with Keeping It Heel for all the latest on Sterling Manley, and UNC basketball alumni throughout the league.