UNC Basketball: 5 reasons why the Tar Heels are preseason title contenders

Rising sophomores poised for breakouts

Even though Jalek Felton is no longer with from the team, UNC basketball’s rising sophomore class brings plenty of potential to the table for this coming season. Felton may have been the only 2017 commitment to be ranked in the top-100 of the recruiting class but at this point, all that matters is the production on the court. Each of UNC’s three rising sophomores played some minutes per game last season and showed flashes of being solid rotation players in the years to come.

A 6-foot-3 guard, Andrew Platek received sporadic playing time last year, averaging just 7.5 minutes per contest. Although clearly a small sample size, he was solid in these minutes, averaging 2.0 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 0.5 assists on 49.1% from the field and 37.0% from three. Without Joel Berry on the roster, Platek will have an opportunity to swoop in for playing time. However, he is best suited as an off-guard and will therefore likely need to be on the floor along with a primary playmaker.

Next up, it is hard to figure where Garrison Brooks will land in the rotation this year. A starter in 16 games last season, Brooks can play at either forward position and clearly has plenty of talent. He averaged 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game a year ago. However, it seems unlikely that he will swoop in and snag a starting spot this season. If Coach Williams chooses to go with a small-ball lineup, which he likely will, then Brooks would be the odd-man-out of a starting frontcourt including Nassir Little, Cameron Johnson, and Luke Maye.

As for the final rising sophomore, Sterling Manley will reprise his role as a solid reserve big man. At 6-foot-11, he has excellent size and uses that to his advantage on both ends of the floor. For the year, he averaged 5.4 points and 3.6 rebounds in just 10.0 minutes per game. He also capitalized on 56.6% of his shot attempts. It is hard to argue with that kind of production and efficiency but the Tar Heels will still likely trot out small-ball starting lineups this season. Nonetheless, he is a true center who could be a starter if Coach Williams elects to go with a more traditional lineup.