NC State Basketball: What Manny Bates’ transfer means for Wolfpack

According to Inside Pack Sports, NC State Basketball center Manny Bates is planning to enter the transfer portal.

Bates was a four-star recruit in the class of 2018 but redshirted the 2018-19 season with a shoulder injury. In his redshirt freshman season in 2019-20, Bates averaged 5.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks in just 18.4 minutes. As a redshirt sophomore in 2020-21, he averaged 9.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks in 27.4 minutes.

Bates missed the entire 2021-22 season after suffering a dislocated right shoulder in the first minute of the first game of the season against Bucknell back in November.

In just two full seasons of play, Bates had already climbed to fourth on NC State’s career blocks leaderboard. Ebe Dowuona played better than most expected following Bates’ injury, but that level of rim protection was irreplaceable for an NC State team that finished 246th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency on KenPom — the worst mark in the ACC by almost 50 spots.

Unless Bates applied for and is granted a medical redshirt exception, he will have two years of eligibility remaining — six years total to use his eligibility under the NCAA’s COVID-19 “free year” policy.

One school to watch as a potential landing spot for Bates is Georgetown. The Hoyas were runners-up to NC State in Bates’ initial recruitment back in 2018. They were also linked to him in possible transfer rumors last offseason, but Bates decided to stay at NC State for another year.