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UNC Basketball: Former Tar Heel finds new home in China

By Blake Cockrum

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 26: (L-R) Sterling Manley #21, Brandon Huffman #42 and Andrew Platek #3 of the North Carolina Tar Heels cheer during their game against the Syracuse Orange at the Dean Smith Center on February 26, 2019 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 26: (L-R) Sterling Manley #21, Brandon Huffman #42 and Andrew Platek #3 of the North Carolina Tar Heels cheer during their game against the Syracuse Orange at the Dean Smith Center on February 26, 2019 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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A former UNC basketball player has signed his first professional contract in China.

Former North Carolina reserve forward Sterling Manley has signed his first professional basketball contract. The 6-foot-11, 255-pound big man announced via social media on Sunday that he had agreed to terms with the Sichuan Blue Whales of the Chinese Basketball Association.

Manley left the University of North Carolina in late March following the Tar Heels’ first round NCAA Tournament loss to the Wisconsin Badgers. It was his intention at that point to enter the NCAA transfer portal and finish his collegiate career elsewhere.

Instead, Manley decided to forego his remaining two seasons of college eligibility in search of a professional career. He attended a number of NBA pre-draft workouts and mini-camps and reportedly impressed scouts and general managers with his athleticism and play-making ability. Despite that, he wasn’t selected in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Manley was a member of the Chicago Bull Summer League team but was given limited minutes on the court to prove his value to them or another organization. He went several months without a team after that.

Manley joined the Tar Heels in the fall of 2017 and was a key reserve on their 26-win team that lost in the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 32. He averaged 5.4 points and 3.6 rebounds across 37 games that season. He appeared in just 21 games over the next three years thanks to a slew of injuries that kept him sidelined.

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

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