Kansas State men's basketball signs former Bishop Miege forward Taj Manning
The Kansas State officially added its first men's basketball recruit for 2022 on Wednesday, when Taj Manning from Kansas City, Missouri signed a national letter of intent.
"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," K-State coach Bruce Weber said of Manning.
Manning, a 6-foot-8, 190-pound power forward, is playing his senior season at La Lumiere High School in La Porte, Indiana, but last March helped lead Bishop Miege to a Class 4A state championship in Salina.
Manning, a three-star prospect by both 247 Sports and Rivals, chose K-State over offers from nine other Division I programs, including Xavier, Creighton, Wake Forest and Tulsa.
Manning's recruiting interest picked up last summer on the AAU circuit with Kansas City-based Run GMC. At the time of his Sept. 25 commitment, Manning credited his relationship with head coach Bruce Weber and the entire K-State staff for leading him to the Wildcats.
More: 'We like our guys': Nine thoughts about the 2021-22 Kansas State men's basketball season
K-State was looking for depth at the forward position.
"He's always been an athlete — runner, jumper, rebounder, playing hard," Weber said. "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 three.
"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."
At Miege last year, Manning averaged 15 points and seven rebounds per game and scored 18 points with 10 rebounds in the Stags' 94-40 state championship victory over Louisburg.
Manning is K-State's only commitment so far and could be their only addition of the early signing period. With super-seniors Mike McGuirl and Mark Smith departing at the end of the season, the Wildcats have at least one more scholarship to give if everybody else returns.
Weber said he is looking for a shooting guard to replace McGuirl and Smith to fill out the class.
K-State women's basketball signs four players
Kansas State women's coach Jeff Mittie announced the signing of four players — three guards and a forward — to letters of intent Wednesday.
Guards Michayla Gatewood and Ja'Mia Harris helped lead DeSoto High School in DeSoto, Texas, to a 28-2 record and the 2021 Texas 6A state title last year. Gatewood is a 5-6 is rated as a three-star prospect by ESPN Hoopgurlz and ranked No. 38 point guard in the nation, while the 5-8 Harris averaged 15 points per game.
Mikayla Parks, a 5-9 combo guard from Norman, Oklahoma, who has helped Norman High School to a pair of Class 6A state championships.
The lone frontcourt player in the group is 6-2 forward Eliza Maupin from Webster Groves, Missouri. Maupin is ranked No. 21 in the Class of 2022 by Prep Girls Hoops Missouri and helped Webster Groves to a runner-up finish in the Missouri Class 6 state tournament.
Maupin averaged 12.3 points and 5.3 rebounds as a junior.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State men's basketball signs forward Taj Manning to team
