UNC Basketball: Andrew Platek enters the transfer portal

Andrew Platek, shooting guard and recent graduate of the University of North Carolina, has entered the transfer portal.

Platek joined UNC as part of the relatively unheralded 2017 class, a shooting sidekick to a smorgasbord of post players (Garrison Brooks, Sterling Manley, Walker Miller, and Brandon Huffman). Recruited for his three-point stroke, Platek struggled to meet the expectations of UNC fans with his outside shooting, averaging a mere .298 from downtown for his career.

Platek seemed to struggle with confidence, too. When the first shot didn’t go down, he would catch in good spots and pass up open looks, further congesting the paint. For all of his skill and will, with the influx of talent in Chapel Hill for Hubert Davis’s first season as head coach, more playing time was only going to come at another school.

I was curious to see that he was going to grad-transfer and continue playing college basketball. Back on January 15, 2021, Platek joined the Carolina Insider podcast with Jones Angell and Adam Lucas and discussed his future. When asked if he would consider a fifth year at Carolina, thanks to the free year of eligibility due to Covid, he said,

“I have people ask me this all the time, like ‘Hey dude, are you going to do a fifth year?’ And I’m like, ‘Ah man, I’m 22. I’m kinda old.’ As of right now, I’m probably... this is probably it for me, just because I think I’ve done... after this year what, like I want to go play professionally. I want to try my hand at that and I want to keep playing until the wheels fall off. And I want to give it my all this year with the guys I came in with.”

There is money out there for Andrew Platek, especially overseas. If he can find the right league that won’t physically overwhelm him, he does have good shooting touch, and he has gotten feistier on defense every year.

Carolina fans should wish him well. There are two specific games that I will remember him for. First, the win at Miami last season, where he hit a contested floater to seal the victory for UNC. Second, the painful loss to Duke at home in the ugliest uniforms that Duke and Carolina have ever worn. Whining about the refs gets us nowhere, but let’s be real for a minute. Platek was fouled. I’m getting spun up thinking about it again.

If the refs don’t blow that game, maybe we don’t get crushed by two buzzer beaters. Maybe that season doesn’t go down the toilet.

So farewell, Andrew Platek! I’m glad that he was a Tar Heel. I’m glad he brought passion to the team. I’ll miss how wide open his eyes were when he was on the court. And I’ll miss when he tweeted after big wins.