There were rumors last season that Manny Bates was going to enter the tranfer portal and head to Georgetown.
And despite both parties saying there wasn’t anything to that rumor. There was.
Maybe it didn’t come from Bates, but those in Manny’s camp wanted him to leave NC State. He met with Keatts, and he ended up staying.
Then only a minute into this season, he was lost for the year with a shoulder injury, however he stuck around the program, attending every practice and every game all season long.
This led many to believe Bates would potentially return in 2022-23.