Brady Manek Was Built For This

The 5th year senior chose no better time to blossom then right now, at the pinnacle of the 2021-22 season. While the Final Four is quickly approaching, there is no more interesting team, and perhaps no more interesting person and player than UNC’s Brady Manek. The Oklahoma transfer has always found a place as a consistent 10 points per game college forward, but in recent weeks, especially in March, Manek has catapulted his game to new highs. Since the tournament has begun Manek has elevated his scoring by six points from 15 ppg. to 21 ppg, he’s getting to his hot spots so much quicker leading to many more open looks. He’s picked the exact right time to get hot—in the end of March when the season is on the line. His hot shooting has fueled the number 8 seeds impressive run to the Final Four setting up the most anticipated rubber match in college basketball history. His combination of size and shooting ability has been exactly what his team needed in order to progress in the tournament.

He’s even drawn comparison to NBA legend Larry Bird because of his ability to drain shots with ease(and maybe a little bit because of his appearance back at OU); the comparison is not an easy thing to live up to, but Manek game in and game in shows flashes of that non-stop scoring. One thing will be for certain ahead of Saturday’s showdown with Duke; and that is that Manek will come ready to play for more than just a win but for basketball history.