MANHATTAN – Kansas State head coach Bruce Weber announced the signing of Kansas City area standout Taj Manning (Grandview, Mo./La Lumiere School [Ind.]) to a National Letter of Intent on the first day of the Fall National Signing Period on Wednesday (November 10). He will be a freshman at K-State in the 2022-23 season.
A 6-foot-8, 215-pound power forward, Manning currently plays for prep school powerhouse La Lumiere School in La Porte, Indiana after standout high school careers at both Grandview and Bishop Miege High Schools. He is rated among the top 200 prospects nationally (No. 191 by 247Sports), including the top-40 power forwards (No. 38 by 247Sports). He is a consensus 3-star prospect by both 247Sports and Rivals.
“We are really excited to welcome Taj and his family to K-State,” said Weber. “He is not just a great fit for what we were looking for in this recruiting class from a position standpoint, but just a great fit for our program.”
Manning transferred to the La Lumiere School after guiding Bishop Miege to a 22-1 overall record and their sixth Class 4A State Championship this past spring. The Stags dominated their competition, losing just one game all season (a 68-55 setback to Class 6A Blue Valley Northwest) and defeating their other 22 opponents by an average of 30.4 points per game. They won their five playoff games by an average of 42.6 points, including a 94-40 victory over Louisburg in the championship game. He registered a double-double in the state championship game, posting 18 points and grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds.
Manning was one of three Bishop Miege products that were named to the KBCA Class 4A All-State Team, including two on the First Team. He was also selected First Team All-Eastern Kansas League.
“We started recruiting him before COVID-19, and we had to follow him for afar his senior year at Bishop Miege, in which, he was part of a special team that won the state championship by 50 points,” said Weber. “It wasn’t until the summer that we were able to finally see him in-person, and he’s just really continued to make improvements.
“He's always been an athlete runner jumper rebounder playing hard,” said Weber. “But he's added to his game. He's at an elite prep school (La Lumiere) now and he is shooting the ball really well from 3. He can get to the basket. He’s kind of a little bit old school in that he is a high-post guy that can kind of rip and get by people and create off of that.”
Manning transferred to Bishop Miege after playing two seasons (2018-20) at Grandview High School in his hometown Grandview, Missouri. He led the Bulldogs to a combined 50 victories in those two seasons, including a 29-win campaign in 2018-20 and a 21-win campaign in 2019-20. He paced the squad in scoring (16.1 ppg.), rebounding (6.9 rpg.) and blocks (1.9 bpg.) in 2019-20, while connecting on 50.1 percent from the field (172-of-343) and 64.2 percent (79-of-123) from the free throw line. He averaged 10 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.3 assists per game in 2018-19.
“I think more than anything, he's such a good person,” said Weber. “He comes from a great family. His dad works with young kids. He really wants to be at K-State. Part of it is because of his academic interest (food sciences and agriculture). When we got him on campus the first time, his eyes lit up. Our academic folks really did a great job with him and really sold him on all that K-State has to offer.
“It's always nice to get the Kansas kids,” said Weber. “I just think he has a really good upsize. He's got athleticism, he's got a great attitude. He's developed his game and advanced his game, and I think he's got a chance to be really, really good.”