Two North Carolina basketball players — Anthony Harris and Sterling Manley — have received redshirts for the 2019-20 season. UNC confirmed this development.
A former 4-star recruit, Harris will enter the 2020-21 season as a redshirt freshman. Manley, who has dealt with injuries for years now, will be a redshirt junior.
Before his season-ending ACL injury, Harris appeared in five game this season, averaging 6.8 points (42.9 3P%). The 6-foot-4 wing made his season debut at Virginia in December. Harris missed time in high school with another ACL injury. According to Inside Carolina, Harris is back home in Woodbridge, Va., recovering his ACL.
Even with the departure of reserve guard Jeremiah Francis, North Carolina’s backcourt is loaded. It will be a competitive process to carve at playing time. Harris is a shooter, though, which gives him a skill to sell. With senior Brandon Robinson leaving the program, UNC is out an experienced spot-up shooter. Harris has a shot to establish himself an off-ball/spacing asset.
Early in his career, Manley flashed nice potential as a two-way center; as a freshman he averaged 5.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. Manley appeared in all 37 games during the 2017-18 season. Since then, however, he’s seen little floor time.
During the 2018-19 season, Manley played 149 total minutes across 10 games while plagued with knee issues. Manley didn’t play in a single game this season; back in December, he had surgery to repair cartilage in his left knee.
North Carolina’s frontcourt is even more congested, from a rotation perspective. With Garrison Brooks and Armando Bacot back, plus the arrival of 5-star centers Walker Kessler and Day’Ron Sharpe, it’s hard to see anything beyond a bit role for Manley, which assumes good health, too. (Truth be told, Leaky Black probably needs minutes at the 4-spot as well. However, finding those minutes is a serious challenge.)
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