Little Love For Sterling

[al would]

Big guy continues to show some serious improvements in his game on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. Looks like his conditioning is getting better and he's starting to show some serious upper body muscle. With his length he almost looked a little like "Big Smooth" there a time or two.

Sterling will be a BIG part of this team going forward if we're going to make a run !! We will be lucky if he stays around till he's a junior. I am a BIG TIME Sterling fan .. jmho

 

[MWHeels]

We don't win tonight without Manley's performance. He made some nice plays on both offense and defense.

 

[UNC-75]

Who else here thinks he reminds them of Brandan Wright and the important contribution he made for that team in the end?

 

[heels05champs]

Who else here thinks he reminds them of Brandan Wright and the important contribution he made for that team in the end?

I don’t see the Brandan Wright comparison but I see a little Haywood with him.

 

[Heels5150]

Poor kid got hammered at the end along with Berry and of course zero calls from the officials

 

[IDUNK4HEELS]

Manley is giving Carolina a presence both offensively and especially defensively

 

[pln2013]

Who else here thinks he reminds them of Brandan Wright and the important contribution he made for that team in the end?

Wright is probably the 2nd best freshman Roy has had at UNC, behind Hansbrough. That's a wee bit generous.

 

[FranktheHeel]

Once again tonight you really saw his ability to be one heck of a player from us and how he is constantly improving. We definitely need production from the bench and him being able to come in and produce like that is huge. I like how he is more aggressive defensively as he is looking to block more shots and get to the glass, using his size a little more to his advantage. He very much impressed me with his production in the first half in his 8 minutes scoring 8 points, in addition to 4 rebounds and a block while going 4-5 from the line as he was aggressive and excelled at being able to play through contact which is something that has really improved at. That post move score on the low block in the 2nd half really stood out.
Good signs from BIG STER tonight, he definitely is someone that we need to keep improving and be there to help us make a run in March.

 

[GoNtheDistance]

Manley and Wright comparisons are well.....just stop. That being said, he has shown big time strides and played extremely well tonight. He is our only freshman post player with a pulse on both ends and glad to see him getting more minutes off the bench. Leave Huffman and Brooks over there to cheer.

 

[notashelbyfan]

He is getting stronger and is starting to establish himself!

 

[notashelbyfan]

Wright is probably the 2nd best freshman Roy has had at UNC, behind Hansbrough. That's a wee bit generous.

Na that's a reach a really long reach!

 

[alabamaheel]

Its amazing what happens when you play more mins and get touches. And I'm not being sarcastic or knocking on anyone.

 

[TarHeelMark]

I hate to say it but i hardly have any memories of Wright.

I’m glad to say that Manley gave us a solid 17 minutes tonight, with 12 & 6. Hopefully he can continue getting more minutes into March and April.

 

[Ozheelfan]

Yeah, no need for comparisons.... Sterling is maturing before our eyes, he has oodles of upside but is providing very good bench minutes now.

 

[ProfessorOwl]

He's just so big. Chukwu is supposedly 7'2. Did he look 3 inches taller than Manley to you guys?

We have a true 7' footer on our hands. Oh and he has good hands, rebounds well, can shoot free throws, and has good timing on blocks. The sky is the limit.

 

[MWHeels]

Manley really grew up last night and it was enjoyable to watch. His defense has really improved. He made some nice plays on defense in crucial Syracuse possessions where he either blocked the shot or altered it enough to create a miss. And here's the most impressive stat from the box score - 17 minutes and 0 personal fouls on a night when the Heels were getting whistled on nearly every defensive possession. Really impressive.

And let's remember this. Bagley will be gone in a month and half, while we will have Manley for at least another year and most likely 2. He can become a beast if he puts in the work.

Go Heels!

 

[TheFamily22]

I hate to say it but i hardly have any memories of Wright.

I’m glad to say that Manley gave us a solid 17 minutes tonight, with 12 & 6. Hopefully he can continue getting more minutes into March and April.

I remember Wright with those long arms blocking shots, grabbing rebounds with ease and snatching balls out of the air tossed to him by Lawson and throwing them down. That's not Manly. But Manly will be a force to reckon with sooner than later.

 

[heelbent]

My favorite memory of Wright is the way he spurned ratface.

 

[DeanFor President]

That funny, the OP mentioned Big Smooth Perkins, and when Manley plucked that rebound right off the front of the rim with those 2 longs arms up there, I stood up and said "Holy crap, Manley is Perkins!" Obviously he is not, but that flash was great to see. Played 17 minutes last night, seemed to be pretty fresh, and was the ONLY sub that got into the game in the 2nd half- that's very telling, as Brooks only played 2 minutes, Manley has clearly supplanted Brooks as the #1 big, and his ceiling is the ROOF!

 

[ElizabethtownHeel]

the big kid wants to play ! He is doing a great job and is a great team player !

 

[ChiShankCity]

I think he has a pro future. Seems like a skilled big guy who can move. Also, isn't afraid to get posterized which is big because it means he'll contest everything at the rim.

He's a lot more skilled than I thought he'd be right now.

 

[pln2013]

I think he has a pro future. Seems like a skilled big guy who can move. Also, isn't afraid to get posterized which is big because it means he'll contest everything at the rim.

He's a lot more skilled than I thought he'd be right now.

Manley has the long-term potential to be a rim-protecting stretch-5. That's super valuable.

 

[Spaceytoyz]

He is a good bit ahead of the other 2 right now, He may even put himself on the draft board during his junior season and have a decision to make..

 

[Tom79]

I recall Manley first getting notice his sophomore season in HS. Then came the leg breaks as a junior & senior, so yeah, he has come a long way. Thank goodness Roy stuck with the kid. And I agree, the ceiling is the roof for this kid! Getting better every day, receiving the ball down low, has a nice shot, gets after it rebounding and defending. Has a great knack for "seeing" Theo's passes so he gets extra credit there! Lots to like.

 

[Steat]

Have been Manley's biggest cheerleader from the first day that Roy got his commitment. Mikey Irby is a close second. When the kid hit 16-16 in an early-season high school game I knew Roy had found a diamond.

 

[midline]

Manley is coming along and improving all the time. Just got to toughen him up a bit as he sometimes plays with a little too much finesse. But figure that will come with time. And that is the one thing missing from this team. Inside play with a physical attitude

 

[Heelicious]

Manley is coming along and improving all the time. Just got to toughen him up a bit as he sometimes plays with a little too much finesse. But figure that will come with time. And that is the one thing missing from this team. Inside play with a physical attitude

This.

He is coming along, and is getting close to holding his own....
I just hope the coaches implore him to go up strong, don't hesitate, get mean / angry, attack the rim and dunk it when he can. Sometimes it seems he get the ball and sort of waits and peeks around the area wondering if someone is going to defend / block him. Instead of just instantly attacking. Same with going for rebounds.

But yes - he can be very good next year - and continues to improve this year. I'm rooting for him big time.

 

[ethanga62890]

This.

He is coming along, and is getting close to holding his own....
I just hope the coaches implore him to go up strong, don't hesitate, get mean / angry, attack the rim and dunk it when he can. Sometimes it seems he get the ball and sort of waits and peeks around the area wondering if someone is going to defend / block him. Instead of just instantly attacking. Same with going for rebounds.

But yes - he can be very good next year - and continues to improve this year. I'm rooting for him big time.

I've seen a noticeable improvement in that as the season has gone on. He must be putting in a lot of work at practice.

 

[Ozheelfan]

This.

He is coming along, and is getting close to holding his own....
I just hope the coaches implore him to go up strong, don't hesitate, get mean / angry, attack the rim and dunk it when he can. Sometimes it seems he get the ball and sort of waits and peeks around the area wondering if someone is going to defend / block him. Instead of just instantly attacking. Same with going for rebounds.

But yes - he can be very good next year - and continues to improve this year. I'm rooting for him big time.

Yup... best thing he can do for his development is to enrol into summer classes and hang around the hill when sheed and psycho T come to town.

 

[TheFamily22]

People around here were saying that Manley needed to red shirt. Aren't we glad they weren't in charge?

 

[al would]

I think the thing he needs to do most is take up residence in Jonas's strength and conditioning program. The young man appears to have a great shooting touch and length you can't coach. And as an above poster said he needs to be more reflexive or quicker to his shot. As he gets stronger he will naturally become more aggressive and stronger to the rack, and be able to finish better through contact. Would love to see him develop that soft half jumper hook shot for sure because I believe he already might have the touch for the mid range game .. given some time to work on it. Also believe he will develop into a threat as a 3 ball shooter, cause that stroke he has translates to all parts of the floor. And while you throwing the kudos, I too was one of the first to get on the Sterling fan wagon because it was easy to see Roy pulled the rug from under a lot of people when he snagged Sterling. Mr. Manley has lottery potential written all over his game ! jmho .. and I'm right on this one

 

[Spaceytoyz]

Not fair to say Huffman has regressed because he is not playing enough to find out, But Brooks has regressed some..

 

[Ozheelfan]

Not fair to say Huffman has regressed because he is not playing enough to find out, But Brooks has regressed some..

I'd prefer to say Brooks has stagnated while Sterling has grown into his role (he's leap-frogged Garrison for now)

It also helps that Sterling's college position is the 5 where Brooks is being asked to play 5 but will likely play 4 by his senior year.

Huff is raw, but I get a better feeling looking at his game than a frosh Byron Sanders or even Joel James... he has a nice shot, a mean streak down low and looks like a great team mate.... he's more of a college centre and should be a good back-up for Sterling in a couple of years.

All that said, the frosh bigs have done nicely considering the preseason angst about their rankings.... None of them should scare off top ranked recruits for '19, Manley might make a top centre prospect think twice in '20. But, overall they'll give Roy solid depth up front for another few years (largely thanks to the PT given to them this year and the time available next year)

 

[Heelicious]

Not fair to say Huffman has regressed because he is not playing enough to find out, But Brooks has regressed some..

Huffman has brought a strong sideline "mean stink face game" to the team for when the Heels make nasty good plays, so there's that.....

 

[pln2013]

I don't think Brooks has really regressed, but I do think his removal from the starting lineup has helped our offense significantly. Given our offensive system, playing someone who isn't a threat to do anything on offense - shoot, drive, post-up, roll to the basket - causes the offense to stagnate. A usage rate of 11.8% (Brooks's in conference play) is insanely low for a UNC center.

Manley is still raw, but he's a presence - his size and touch make him a legitimate threat around the basket. He leads the team in usage rate in conference play at 25.9%.