The Tar Heels traded Walker Kessler for Brady Manek.
If Armando Bacot is advised by NBA teams for which he is auditioning that the needs another year in college instead of coming out as an undrafted free agent, the 2022 Tar Heels could be much-improved over the last two seasons.
And if Dean Smith’s old axiom is true that college players make the most improvement between their freshman and sophomore years, Caleb Love, RJ Davis and Kerwin Walton will be a lot better.
Walker Kessler, who must prove that at Auburn, will be replaced by a true stretch forward that Kessler’s family thought he should have been as a UNC frosh.
Brady Manek is a fifth-year college player thanks to COVID-induced super senior status afforded by the NCAA. He transfers in from Oklahoma as a true inside-outside guy whom Hubert Davis loves because he scores with either hand around the basket and is accurate from outside, to say the least.
Davis calls Manek “not only a great 3-point shooter, he can put it on the floor and is an excellent passer, rebounder and defender.”
The 6’9″ Manek leaves Norman as the Sooners’ 14th all-time leading scorer, having started 111 games and scored almost 1500 points and made 235 from the 3-point line, fifth best in Oklahoma history. And he is at least Kessler’s equal in the classroom, a three-time Big 12 all-academic member with 4.0 as a senior.
So what have the Tar Heels done here? They have a big-time shooting 4-man the likes of Luke Maye coming for one season versus Kessler, who would have been one more and done at Carolina, improving enough to enter the NBA draft or frustrated enough to transfer somewhere.
Davis’ offense will either be going small with Puff Johnson and Virginia transfer Justin McKoy at the stretch four around Manek or be a more versatile two-post game with Brady and Bacot.
With Garrison Brooks moving to Mississippi State, where he originally committed and his father is an assistant coach, Bacot returning as leading scorer and rebounder now becomes the key unless Hubert is still stalking the transfer portal for another big man.
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