**************************************************************************************
***************************************************************************************
FORT WORTH, TX – Some North Carolina fans have taken a liking to referring to Tar Heels forward Brady Manek as “Brady Bird,” but the folks in Baylor’s program see him more as “Brady Beard.”
At least that was what jumped to Bears Coach Scott Drew’s mind when he was asked about the former Oklahoma and current UNC sharpshooter. Manek didn’t always wear a beard, or much facial hair at all, when with the Sooners, but he does now, and it has taken on somewhat a life of its own.
It has become as much about how people view him as his supremely quick catch-and-shoot skills that have helped propel the Tar Heels to 25 wins and a chance at making a run in the NCAA Tournament.
So, when Manek came up in the presser, Drew went right to the long-haired blonde’s Carolina look.
“We're, obviously, really familiar with (Manek),” Drew said Friday afternoon inside Dickies Arena, when meeting with the media in advance of Saturday’s second-round game of the East Region.
“He can grow that beard to try to hide, but we know who he is. He's a great player. He can really shoot it. And I've always respected his game and what he brings to the table.”
Manek and his beard will take the court for the eighth-seeded Tar Heels when they face top seed and defending national champion Baylor at 12:10 EST on Saturday, with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line. Carolina is coming off a 32-point rout of Marquette on Thursday, and the Bears dismantled Norfolk State by 36 points.
The 6-foot-9 Manek was sensational for the Tar Heels, leading them with 28 points shooting 10-for-15 from the field, including 5-for-10 from three-point range. He also grabbed 11 rebounds and handed out three assists. One came with him in the rare position of leading a fast break.
Manek took the ball down the middle of the floor, forced a Marquette defender to commit to him, then Manek dropped a bounce pass to Leaky Black for an easy score. Black smiled Thursday when asked about the play, saying it signaled how “everything was working.”
For UNC to navigate the highly effective defensive prowess that helped Baylor cut down the nets a year ago and earn a number one seed this season, despite losing perhaps its top two players, will require that Manek and the Heels have everything working Saturday.
For Baylor, as much as it knows what kind of player Manek is and understand many of his tendencies, he has changed. Junior guard Adam Flagler has seen one part of Manek’s game grow since his days playing in the same conference.
“He's definitely being a lot more aggressive,” Flagler said. “We've all seen from playing against him, as well as him being in the Big 12, we know what he's capable of. We're definitely going to focus on making him feel uncomfortable out there. It's going to be exciting and we can't wait.”
The Bears also probably recognize Manek is on a better team at UNC, at least at this juncture of the season. Oklahoma made the NCAA Tournament in each of the three seasons Manek was there in which the event was actually held. The Sooners advanced to the second round twice, falling to eventual national champion Virginia in 2019, and last year losing to eventual national runner-up Gonzaga, which was the overall top seed in the 2021 tournament.
Yet, Oklahoma was 1-6 versus Baylor during Manek’s time there. He averaged 10.6 points, shot 44.2 percent from the floor, including 38.7 percent from the perimeter, with his high game of 21 points coming in 2020. He also had scoring games of four and three points, and only twice scored more than 10 points versus the Bears.
Regardless of the personnel in Baylor’s program, which has relied heavily on transfers, there has been a constant in its success, Manek says.
“They're always defensively sound,” he said. “They're a really good basketball team. And (Drew) does a good job, whether it's defense or offense, getting his guys to play together. They're going to be a tough opponent for us.”
And UNC will challenge the defending champs, especially if Manek and his beard are scorching from the outside, finding open spots with his impressive movement off the ball, and if the Heels share the ball similarly to how they did Thursday in assisting on 29 of 34 field goals.
The beard is not typical among UNC players from the past, but has been more common in recent years with Luke Maye, Joel Berry, and even Andrew Platek sporting heavy fuzz and more. Carolina Coach Hubert Davis takes it in stride.
His mentor, Dean Smith, didn’t allow facial hair unless a player had a skin condition made more comfortable with a beard of some kind. James Worth and Ranzino Smith both wore beards in the 1980s. Davis doesn’t have such a rule, though.
“I don't really care, as long as he hits, makes shots, and continues to be the person that he is,” Carolina’s coach said, before breaking into some laughter with the rest of his response. “It is long. He needs to get it cut. But I've seen pictures of him when he's - you know, when he is shaved and he looks 11.”
Perhaps Manek (14.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg) is better with a beard, too. This has been his best season in college and he has recently popped up on some NBA draft boards as a potential second-round pick this summer.
Whether Manek has more than one game left in his brief UNC career remains to be seen. Regardless, the beard has found a comfortable little spot in Carolina lore, and as Drew said, he won’t be able to hide Saturday. He just might be Baylor’s primary defensive focus.
