UNC Basketball: Brady Manek Signs to Play Overseas

The UNC basketball star big man from last year’s Final Four team will begin his pro career “down under” as a member of the NBL’s Perth Wildcats.

UNC Basketball fans don’t have to wait any longer to find out where Brady Manek will be playing next season.

Manek agreed to a deal with the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League in Australia on Wednesday.  The Wildcats are one of Australia’s premier professional basketball organizations, as they have claimed ten league championships all-time.

Manek spent his first four years of college starting nearly every game for Oklahoma prior to famously transferring to North Carolina last season.  Manek averaged double-digit points in all four seasons at OU, while helping lead the Sooners to the NCAA Tournament in all three of the years it was held during his time in Norman.

While the 6-foot-9 big man was well-known throughout Big 12 country, it was this past season at North Carolina that made him a household name.  After coming off the bench for much of the beginning of the season, Manek became a full-time starter after Dawson Garcia left the team in January.

As his minutes increased, the production for the grad-transfer took off.  Manek became a go-to scorer for the Tar Heels finishing the year averaging 15.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and a career-high 1.8 assists.

When late February and March arrived, Manek had found his groove and so had the Tar Heels.  North Carolina finished the regular season winning five games in a row, and carried that momentum all the way to the National Title game in New Orleans.

The Oklahoma native played a major role in this run, most notably lighting up former Big-12 rival and defending national champion Baylor for 26 points in just 28 minutes, prior to a more than questionable ejection, and of course banging home crucial three-pointers against Duke in the wins at Cameron and in New Orleans.

Following a stint with the Charlotte Hornets at the NBA Summer League, it might come as a surprise to UNC basketball fans that Manek will not be playing in either the NBA or the G-League this upcoming season.

It seemed evident to those who watched Manek throughout his college career  that he has an NBA-style game as a big man who is an elite shooter, can space the floor, and has developed great chemistry with elite guards such as Trae Young, Caleb Love, and R.J. Davis.

With Manek’s ability to score in bunches and a personality that has been proven to captivate a fanbase, UNC basketball fans will not be surprised if Manek finds his way back to the states and into the NBA sooner rather than later.  In the meantime, there will be a group of Wildcats fans cheering on the bearded legend as he knocks down shots next season.

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