Pete Nance speaks during UNC Basketball Summer Media Day

During UNC basketball’s Summer Media Day, newcomer Pete Nance discussed some Tar Heels-related topics, including a conversation he had with Brady Manek.

It was Summer Media Day for the UNC basketball program on Monday, as members of the media were certainly excited to talk to the Tar Heels in anticipation of the 2022-2023 season.

There are certainly high expectations for this year’s squad. Coming off a run to the national championship game, Hubert Davis and the Tar Heels return four of their five starters while also bringing back the notable rotation players as well. They also have some incoming freshmen who have the potential to make an impact right away.

Of course, it’s certain the media wanted to hear from Armando Bacot to see what the talented big man has been up to lately (if you haven’t been following along, Bacot has been thriving in the new world of NIL).

They also were focused on super senior Leaky Black who has some unfinished business to take care of before his time in Chapel Hill comes to an end, as well as junior guards R.J. Davis and Caleb Love, arguably the best backcourt in the entire nation.

However, even with all these notable players in the mix, it was Pete Nance that intrigued the media on this day.

Nance comes to Chapel Hill off a stellar career at Northwestern. After deciding to withdraw from the NBA Draft, Nance decided that North Carolina was a great place to spend his final season of collegiate eligibility.

Just a month into his time in Chapel Hill, Nance reflected on his decision to commit to the UNC basketball program. He also discussed early bonding with his teammates and his projected role along with other topics.

Let’s face it: Nance will be compared to former Tar Heel standout Brady Manek, as many fans will say he’s here to “replace” him. As they are two very comparable players, Nance should thrive in the Tar Heels system once he’s implemented into it.

Of course, fans need to remember that Nance is his own player and will make his own mark on the UNC basketball program. However, did Manek have an impact on Nance coming to Chapel Hill in the first place?

Even before he knew he was heading back to college, Nance had a conversation with the former Tar Heel about his lone season with the program.

"“I got to speak with him a little bit at the NBA G League Elite Camp. It was really cool because I hadn’t even spoken to North Carolina yet. I asked him, ‘How was it? How was your experience?’ He said it was the best basketball experience of his life. Which, only being here one year, I thought was something really cool. At the time, I was really focused on the draft. For him to say that after just being here for one year said a lot about North Carolina and the kind of people that they have here.”"

During the NBA G League Elite Camp, Manek told the newest Tar Heel that attending North Carolina was the “best basketball experience of his life.”

Even though he was trying to have his talents evaluated by NBA personnel at the time, Manek’s quote is something that had to stick with Nance… right?

Manek may not get credited with an assist with this one, but we definitely think he deserves one. In hindsight, it’s very possible that the conversation between Manek and Nance helped show the latter that Chapel Hill was the right place to go.

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