A familiar face for Tar Heel fans has returned to the UNC basketball family.

UNC women’s basketball head coach Courtney Banghart announced Wednesday men’s basketball national champion Jackie Manuel is joining her staff. She praised his experience and passion, important elements for his position as Director of Player Personnel, Development and Recruiting Operations.

“To complete our staff, we looked for a candidate who would be a person of impact on Day 1 and who would allow us to stay nimble, synergistic, and forward-thinking,” Banghart said in a release. “In bringing Jackie Manual on board, we have nailed it. I’ve learned a lot about Jackie throughout this process and am thrilled to be adding him to our program.”

During his UNC playing days, Manuel earned All-ACC Defensive honors during his junior and senior seasons. The guard was part of the 2004-05 national championship team that finished 33-4.

Following that, Manuel played four seasons in the NBA’s development league before playing a season in Japan. He previous served as an assistant strength and condition coach for the Tar Heels in 2011-12 before joining the coaching staff of UNC-Greensboro, led by fellow Tar Heel Wes Miller. Manuel spent four years with the Spartans and one year as an assistant at Valparaiso before joining the UNC-Wilmington coaching staff, where he’s been the last three seasons.

“Carolina has a special place in my heart, and the opportunity to return home to Chapel Hill is a dream come true for my entire family,” Manuel said. “Coach Banghart is an incredible coach, and even better person, who is very passionate and driven to make UNC women’s basketball one of the best programs in the country. I am excited to have the chance to learn from her and the entire staff, while helping Carolina women’s basketball in any way that I can. To me, it is all about the Carolina family.”

UNC men’s basketball head coach Roy Williams shared praise and excitement about Manuel’s hiring on Wednesday.

“Courtney Banghart is getting a person of the highest quality who loves the game of basketball and enjoys learning all aspects of running a program,” said Williams. “He will do a tremendous job, just as he did as a player and captain of our national championship team and in his previous stops as an assistant coach.”

A full release of Manuel’s hiring can be found on the Carolina Athletics’ website.

Photo via Carolina Athletics.

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