GoHeels Exclusive: Manley Provides Lift Off The Bench

by Pat James, GoHeels.com

With less than four minutes left in the first half of Saturday's 80-66 win over Georgia Tech, the North Carolina men's basketball team lacked much offensive rhythm.

The Tar Heels' largest lead, at that point, had been five. But at the under-four media timeout, that seemed distant, as the Yellow Jackets had forced UNC into 10 turnovers. Seven of those came during a string of 11 straight empty possessions.

Georgia Tech hadn't quite capitalized on those miscues. Yet the Tar Heels, leading by two, still longed for some sort of offensive consistency.

They ultimately found that in Sterling Manley.

Over a two-minute stretch, Manley provided a necessary lift, totaling seven points and two offensive rebounds. His play helped UNC seize a 35-28 halftime lead, and the Tar Heels held at least a seven-point edge for nearly the rest of the game.

"We're always known for having one guy off the bench basically give us a spark," said Theo Pinson when asked about Manley. "He did tonight. It was huge for us."

Since arriving on campus, Manley said one of the areas he's improved the most in has been his aggressiveness. And that was evident late in the first half.

Manley said Georgia Tech big men Ben Lammers and Abdoulaye Gueye were "just falling asleep." So he tried to exploit them and the Yellow Jackets' zone defense by establishing inside position on rebounds, which allowed him to score four of his points via a tip-in and a dunk.

"The two big men, they had no subs for them," Manley said. "So, c'mon, you're going to play the whole game and you think you will be able to stay with me when I'm coming off the bench? That's like a slap in my face. So I'm definitely going to go to work on you."

In nine first-half minutes, Manley tied Pinson for the team lead with nine points. That matched Manley's highest scoring output in seven career Atlantic Coast Conference games – he also finished with nine against Boston College on Jan. 9.

Manley only saw three minutes after halftime. But that didn't deter him.

"It is what it is," he said. "You just have to roll with the punches and whatever the flow of the game is, that's what you have to go with. I trust coach (Roy Williams) makes the right decisions and makes the right subs. So I just go with what he says."

Yet as Cameron Johnson noted, that trust is something Manley developed.

Johnson said many freshmen go through a period where they must shed their high school habits of talking back to coaches and playing how they see fit. Manley went through a similar process, and Johnson said that's what has allowed Manley to evolve and produce.

"When I first got here over the summer, he was a completely different kid than he is now," Johnson said. "He's in a lot better shape, his motor is much higher, he's tougher, he moves better, he scores better, he defends better.

"I feel like when big men come here, good things happen to them … Sterling has a bright future ahead of him. I think this is only the beginning of his growth."

Williams continues to employ a big-man-by-committee rotation. But over the last six games, Manley has played double-digit minutes in all but one and has often been the first player off a bench that has averaged 13.3 points during conference play.

"We just want to be better and do better," said Manley of the bench. "And I definitely want to be that guy who just gives a spark and keeps the train rolling."

Players Mentioned

Cameron Johnson

Sterling Manley

Theo Pinson

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