Texas Basketball: 3 transfers to target after missing on Fardaws Aimaq

Manny Bates, PF

If Beard and the Longhorns want to take a risk on a big man out of the portal that could really pay off for them if he stays healthy, then they should look no further than the former NC State Wolfpack redshirt sophomore power forward/center Manny Bates. Texas might not want to take this risk. But if Bates is bound to make a full recovery by the start of preseason camp next fall, Beard and his staff should be willing to at least consider this risk.

This 6-foot-11 and 230-pound big man was really good for NC State when healthy over the course of the last few years. The problem for Bates was the fact that he couldn’t stay healthy in the last couple of seasons.

In fact, Bates only played in one game during the 2021-22 campaign before suffering an eventual season-ending shoulder injury that required surgery. That leaves Bates with just one game played since the end of March 2021.

When healthy, the lengthy and athletic Bates is one of the more effective big men among those players currently available in the transfer portal. That is easy to see when taking a look at some of his advanced metrics from his first two seasons with the Wolfpack.

In the first two seasons of his collegiate career, Bates registered a stout 6.7 box plus/minus, 22.5 player efficiency rating, 13.5 block percentage, and .168 win shares per 40 minutes.

In terms of the impact that Bates could make for the Longhorns’ frontcourt unit, he would add a very noticeable presence down low on both ends of the floor. Bates is a touted inside scorer, effective rebounder, and an extremely polished rim protector.

Bates averaged a whopping nine rebounds and five blocks per 40 minutes during his first two seasons with the Wolfpack. That type of production would obviously be very welcome for Beard and the Longhorns heading into next season.