NC State Basketball

NC State Freshman Big Man Manny Bates To Redshirt the 2018-19 Season

Published

6 years ago

August 21, 2018

Today was a day of good news, and bad news for the NC State Men’s Basketball program.

The good news: Sophomore point guard Blake Harris was granted immediately eligibility, after transferring from Missouri after 14 games played.

The bad news: Freshman big man Manny Bates (6’11″/221) will have to redshirt the 2018-19 season after undergoing surgery on his left shoulder earlier this month (dislocated his shoulder).

“Obviously this is not how any of us wanted Manny’s college career to begin,” Keatts said. “But Manny has a positive outlook on the situation and I know he will work hard to rehabilitate his shoulder.” (GoPack)

Bates actually dislocated his shoulder at the beginning of his Senior season at Northwood Temple Academy as well, and missed much of the season after undergoing surgery.

Obviously it’s not a good sign that Bates has now had two dislocated shoulders, accompanied by two surgeries in a two-year span, but he will get the best treatment possible here in Raleigh.

The Wolfpack’s front court was already a question mark, and after the disappointing news today, that question mark is in bold.

Last season the front court had a star in Omer Yurtseven, and experience in Lennard Freeman and Abdul Malik-Abu. Yurtseven transferred to Georgetown, and Freeman and Abu graduated.

This years front court was already going to be young and inexperienced, but now they are one man down. They are left with Graduate Transfer Wyatt Walker (from Samford), RS SO DJ Funderburk and Freshman Ian Steere.

In fairness to Keatts’ system, it will often run with only one big man, depending on matchups, but the loss is still significant.