Category: UNC Athletics

LOOK: First look at Brady Manek in Perth Wildcats jersey

Former UNC basketball forward Brady Manek has officially joined the Perth Wildcats and was introduced with his new jersey on Monday.

Former UNC basketball forward [autotag]Brady Manek[/autotag] has officially joined his new team down under.

Last month it was announced that Manek would be signing with the Perth Wildcats in Australia, one of the top professional teams outside of the United States.

The Wildcats are the most successful team in the NBL — the highest professional league in Australia. They have 10 championships, winning six since 2010.

On Monday, Manek was officially introduced to the roster and it’s the first time to see Manek in his new uniform.

In his lone season with UNC, Manek averaged averaged 15.1 points per game this season while shooting 40.3 percent from three — both career highs. He also chipped in 6.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game — also a career-high.

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UNC’s Alyssa Ustby named to USA basketball 3×3 roster

UNC basketball froward Alyssa Ustby was named to the USA basketball 3×3 roster set to compete in the Dominican Republic later this month.

Current UNC basketball forward [autotag]Alyssa Ustby[/autotag] has been named to the 2022 USA women’s basketball 3×3 U23 team. She will make her debut later this month when the competition takes place in the Dominican Republic from Aug. 13-19.

Aaliyah Moore (Texas), Maddy Siegrist (Villanova), Celeste Taylor (Duke), Kayla Wells (Texas A&M) and Maddy Westbeld (Notre Dame) join Ustby on the roster.

Ustby was one of 11 players who appeared at the USA Basketball tryouts. Before heading off to the Dominican Republic, she’ll take part in training camp Aug. 9-11.

Ustby averaged 12.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per game as a sophomore last season. She started all 32 games for the Tar Heels and earned All-ACC Second Team honors.

The FIBA 3×3 Nations League is a 3×3 competition that began in 2017. UNC head coach Courtney Banghart spoke on the honor that Ustby will have.

“Alyssa earned the opportunity to try out for this team and played her way onto the roster with the relentlessness and versatility that we have come to trust in her game,” UNC coach Courtney Banghart said. “We are so enormously proud that she’ll be representing the Carolina blue while wearing the red, white, and blue as she goes for gold.”

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Josh Downs receives 90 overall rating from Rivals

UNC football wide receiver Josh Downs received a 90 overall rating from Rivals, the seventh highest rated player in the ACC.

No only has [autotag]John Downs[/autotag] proven to be one of the top wide receivers in the ACC, he has also proven to be one of the top targets in all of college football following a breakout sophomore season in 2021.

Downs returns to UNC after a program record-setting season in Chapel Hill where he caught 101 passes for 1,335 yards and eight touchdowns.

Downs will be UNC’s top weapon on offense in 2022 and could find himself creeping up NFL draft boards as a potential first-round draft pick in 2023.

But, for now, he’s gearing up for his junior year for the Tar Heels. That means, receiving numerous preseason honors such as the the Biletnikoff Award (top wide receiver) and Maxwell Award (College player of the year) this offseason. He was also named to the All-ACC Preseason team.

Now, he received a 90 overall rating from Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney.

“No one in the ACC had more catches than Downs last season. Not formerPitt(nowUSC) receiverJordan Addison, not anyone. The former high four-star receiver finished with 101 receptions for 1,335 yards and eight touchdowns last season, but Downs also had quarterback Sam Howell throwing the ball to him. Howell is now in the NFL, so even though Downs’ numbers could end up higher the talent at QB in Chapel Hill is lower this season than when Howell was in charge.”

His 90-rating was the seventh best in the ACC. He was, however, rated as the second best wide receiver in the conference behind A.T. Perry (Wake Forest – 96) and tied with Dontayvion Wicks (Virginia – 90).

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Mack Brown updates UNC quarterback situation

With just a few weeks until the season opener for UNC football, Mack Brown gives an update on the quarterback battle.

The UNC football program gets its 2022 season started in just about three weeks but that doesn’t mean that head coach Mack Brown will rush into a key decision at quarterback.

Redshirt freshman [autotag]Drake Maye[/autotag] and sophomore Jacolby Criswell are in the middle of a key quarterback battle this fall and up to this point no stater has been named.

On Monday, Brown told reporters that he will aim to make a decision on who will start the season opener on the Sunday before game week.

“We’re hoping we make (the decision) on Sunday before the first game and tell you on Monday at the press conference,” Brown said on Monday. “But it still has not separated enough for us to make that decision.”

Last season, Maye was 7-of-10 for 89 yards and one touchdown. In limited playing time in two seasons, Criswell is 16-of-25 for 195 yards and one touchdown and one interception. He also has one rushing touchdown and 94 yards on the ground.

With a big change coming under center regardless of who starters, Mack Brown is focused on a few key aspects of the position.

“It’s who moves the ball and who scores,” Brown said. “… it’ll be who’s gonna protect the ball. It’s gonna be who’s gonna get the ball out their hands fast because we’re not gonna go through sacks like we did last year. It’s going to be who can convert on third and fourth down. Who runs well enough to make plays. And who’s got the poise and leadership to carry the team to the end zone.”

Regardless of the starter, it will be an entirely new era that is ushered in as the Tar Heels move on from three-year starter and standout quarterback Sam Howell.

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Bobby Frasor steps down as head coach at Brother Rice

Former UNC basketball guard Bobby Frasor announced he is stepping down as head coach at Brother Rice HS after seven seasons as head coach.

Former UNC basketball guard [autotag]Bobby Frasor[/autotag] announced over the weekend that he would be stepping down from his position as the head coach of Brother Rice (IL) high school.

Frasor was brought back to his alma mater in 2015 after starring at Brother Rice from 2001-05. He earned McDonald’s All-American honors as a senior.

In his seven seasons as head coach, Frasor combined for an overall record of 143-56 and won two regional titles. This past season, Brother Rice finished 24-7 overall.

Both of Frasor’s regional titles came within the first three seasons. He had turned around a program that was just 26-32 in the two years before he was hired.

“I obviously loved my time at Brother Rice and had an unbelievable seven years at the school and with the kids I had there,” Frasor said. “It was a fun, fun ride. But ultimately I have to do what’s best for myself and future family. Other opportunities presented themselves and I just had to make the change at this time.”

Frasor won at least 19 games every season expect for the 2020-21 year which was shortened due to Covid. He led Brother Rice to a 13-1 record that season. There were four seasons of at least 20 wins.
Frasor played four years at UNC and was part of the 2009 National Championship team. He later played two seasons overseas before returning to UNC as a video coordinator. He also served as the Director of Operations at UAB before taking the Brother Rice job.
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Look: UNC freshman Seth Trimble meets with Vince Carter

UNC basketball freshman guard Seth Trimble met with Vince Carter over the weekend, former star wing for the Tar Heels.

Former UNC guard Vince Carter isn’t shy about his love for the North Carolina basketball program. He also does as much as he can to give back to the team whenever he can.

Over the weekend, he met with current UNC basketball freshman guard [autotag]Seth Trimble. [/autotag]

Trimble was the highest-ranked member of the 2022 recruiting class for Carolina, ranked No. 35 in the 247Sports Composite rankings. His role will be extremely valuable this season, being the primary backup guard for Caleb Love and RJ Davis – a role UNC didn’t have last year. 

Trimble, like Carter, is a highlight reel waiting to happen. Look no further than his highlight dunk at UNC camp last week. His athletic ability and skillset allows him to play both on and off of the ball, a valuable asset to the UNC backcourt.

While he has a long ways to go, if Trimble is anything like Carter, his career is going to be a very successful one.

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UNC baseball finishes season as consensus top-15 team

UNC baseball finishes the season as a consensus top-15 team in the country following a trip to the NCAA Tournament’s Super Regional round.

The UNC baseball program had a terrific turnaround to the 2022 season and because of that, ends the season as a consensus top-15 team in the country.

The Tar Heels finished the season 42-22 and played host to a Regional and Super Regional in the NCAA Tournament. They would eventually lose to Arkansas 2-0 in the Super Regional.

UNC’s highest ranking in the final polls was No. 13 in the Baseball America poll. They were highest in both the NCBWA and USA Today poll at No. 15.

After going 15-15 in ACC play, the Tar Heels needed to win the ACC Tournament to have a good feeling about making the NCAA Tournament field. UNC would go on to win four games and win the Title, with a 9-5 win over NC State.

Before the ACC Tournament, the Tar Heels won 11 of 13 to end the regular season. In total, UNC baseball won 19 of the final 24 games of its season.

The Tar Heels finished 33-9 in Chapel Hill this year, proving to have one of the better home field advantages in baseball.

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Former Tar Heel is PGA Tour Bound

After playing for UNC from 2014 to 2018, Ben Griffin found himself back on the golf course with his drive giving him new life, earning a PGA Tour ticket.

A dream has come true for former Tar Heel golfer Ben Griffin.

The golfer has officially clinched a spot in the PGA Tournament after his runner-up finish at this last week’s BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD Synnex. He crossed the fail-safe threshold of the 875 points to earn his PGA Tour car.

Griffin was a member of the UNC men’s golf team from 2014 to 2018, writing his name in the books as one of the best during his time in the Carolina blue. He earned two honorable mentions for All-American and tied the course record at UNC Finley with a 62 in 2017.

Griffin also has two tournament wins under his belt and ten top-10 finishes. In 2017 he tied for second in the ACC championship and tied for 11th in the NCAA championship.

What makes Griffin’s story so special is that just last year he walked away from swinging the golf club to become a loan officer, but now he will be playing in the PGA Tour.

This just goes to show that it’s never too late.

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UNC among Topps NIL sports cards releasing this year

Topps will produce trading cards featuring college programs including the UNC athletics program.

You will soon be able to collect trading cards of your favorite North Carolina Tar Heels that aren’t pros just yet.

On Thursday, Topps announced it has secured the long-term rights to produce trading cards with 35 college partners, set to begin as early as 2023. And among the programs are the Tar Heels.

As part of Fanatics Collectibles, Topps will produce cards for both the UNC football and basketball programs. That will allow fans to collect their favorite players before they get to the big leagues. The deal is part of the new NIL rules and allows cards to be made that are licensed by Topps, something they have not done yet.

Here is what Fanatics said via a statement:

“This collection is the first offering of officially licensed collegiate cards featuring current athlete NIL rights. We’re thrilled at the opportunity to launch these comprehensive programs that combine premier student-athletes and elite institutions to create a best-in-class collegiate trading card product for fans and collectors,” said Dave Leiner, Topps Global Vice President and General Manager.

The timeline for production and release has not been made available but we should see these out some time for the upcoming seasons.

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UNC Women’s Lacrosse finishes season atop poll

The UNC Women’s Lacrosse team finishes atop the final ILWomen/IWLCA Poll for the 2022 season.

After completing an incredible unbeaten season that was capped off by a national championship, the UNC Women’s Lacrosse program finished this season ILWomen/IWLCA Poll.

And that’s no surprise.

UNC was No. 1 in the final rankings for the 2022 season, and rightfully so with what they accomplished. With a 22-0 season that was finished off with a big comeback against Northwestern and then a late comeback against Boston College, UNC captured another national championship.

Boston College finished No. 2 in the poll while Maryland, Northwestern and Stony Brook wrapped up the top 5. UNC beat three of those four teams in the tournament.

UNC held the No. 1 spot in the poll since Week 6 back and March and never gave it up from there. They beat Boston College that week who at the time was the defending national champion and number one team in the poll.

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