
There were a number of injuries that had an effect on NCAA Basketball this past season, lowering the respective ceilings of several teams. One of them was NC State, which suffered a major blow in the first game when starting center Manny Bates went down with a season-ending shoulder injury.
It was clear in the first seconds of the game that Bates wasn’t anywhere near close to healthy and it was a surprise that he even suited up. Throughout the offseason, there was talk about him potentially needing surgery but the team and player held it off to try and give it a go for the 2021-22 season.
That proved to be the last time we saw Bates in a Wolfpack uniform. In two full years, the 6’11 center averaged 7.1 ppg and 4.8 rpg but where he makes his impact is on the defensive end. He’s one of the best shot-blockers in the country, averaging 2.8 blocks a night. Over a year ago, Bates blocked a career-high eight shots against Saint Louis and was this season’s Preseason Defensive Player of the Year in the ACC.
Now, Bates will be looking for a new home, with up to three years of eligibility left (assuming he gets a medical redshirt for this year). Teams love having elite interior defenders and there might not be a better one that enters the portal this offseason than Bates.
There will be many teams that try to land the anchor… here are eight that make sense on paper and could very well be in the mix soon enough.