Kansas State University Athletics
‘You Can Count on a Guy Like That’
Jan 03, 2024 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
To understand Taj Manning, you had to be there. You had to be Kansas State assistant coach Anthony Winchester. You had to be holding Winchester's cellphone when the text came across his screen. You had to feel his expression and emotion at the moment that Taj Manning, a scholarshipped redshirt freshman, texted him, asked if he could play on scout squad for the betterment of his team.
Selfless? You bet. Of all the traits of a good teammate, selflessness is at the top. And that's what the 6-foot-7, 230-pound Manning wanted: To be selfless and to be at his best to help the Wildcats achieve success.
"I'm so proud of Taj Manning," says K-State head coach Jerome Tang, whose team beat Chicago State, 62-55, at Bramlage Coliseum on Tuesday. "The most of what I hope we do is develop men and teach them how to be great people first and love their teammates and care about the team more than they care about themselves. This week coming back, minutes in practice were cut down, and Taj could've stood on the sideline and sulked. Instead, he sent a text message to Anthony Winchester, who had the scout, and asked him if he could be on the scout team.
"You have a scholarship guy volunteering to be on the scout team to help the team in any way he can. Because of that he was ready for this (moment)."
Manning had four points and three rebounds in a career-high 15 minutes and registered a plus-12 on the efficiency chart against Chicago State.
"We needed energy, and I knew he'd bring energy," Tang says. "His minutes out there changed it. He was ready. He didn't sulk or pout. He just keeps working. I don't know what it's going to look like moving forward for him, but you can count on a guy like that in the long run."
Here's a guy who redshirted last season. Manning was a consensus 3-star prospect and among the top 200 prospects nationally after playing at Grandview (Missouri) High School, Bishop Miege (Kansas) High School, and La Lumiere School (Indiana). He opted to sit out the Wildcats' run to the Elite Eight.
"It was a long season, but it was still fun," he says. "There were a lot of games last year I saw how much fun everybody was having on the court, and I'd be like, 'Man, I can't wait to get out there.'
"I knew I was sitting for the bigger picture."
And now he's getting his chance to the delight of his teammates.
"Man, Taj works so hard," says Cam Carter, who scored a game-high 19 points against Chicago State. "He has a great mind. He wasn't playing that much this season, but he never gave up and he just keeps fighting. We thank him for that."
Adds Arthur Kaluma, who had 14 points and 13 rebounds in Tuesday's win: "Outstanding character. Not a lot of people offer to be on the scout team. For him to go out there and have the courage and have the selflessness that he has, and then to come out and produce — plus-12, that's amazing — I'm super proud of my guy.
"This is just the start of something special for him."
Manning entered Tuesday's game with three points and seven rebounds in 25 total minutes of action in three games.
He continues to adhere to a simple plan: Stay selfless and stay alert.
"I knew I was playing a pretty good game but my whole mindset coming in, every game I don't know if I'm going to get in or not, so I try to stay in the game mentally," he says. "Whether I'm going to get in or not, I'm mentally locked in so times like tonight when my number is called, I'm ready."
There's really no idea how the season might unfurl for Manning. But better believe it'll likely be a victory in his book because of his selflessness to his coaches and teammates. It surely paid dividends against Chicago State.
"What I know is I could count on him to bring energy and do the things we needed to tonight," Tang said, "and I'm glad he proved me right."
A special night, indeed.
A night that started with a simple text.
To understand Taj Manning, you had to be there. You had to be Kansas State assistant coach Anthony Winchester. You had to be holding Winchester's cellphone when the text came across his screen. You had to feel his expression and emotion at the moment that Taj Manning, a scholarshipped redshirt freshman, texted him, asked if he could play on scout squad for the betterment of his team.
Selfless? You bet. Of all the traits of a good teammate, selflessness is at the top. And that's what the 6-foot-7, 230-pound Manning wanted: To be selfless and to be at his best to help the Wildcats achieve success.
"I'm so proud of Taj Manning," says K-State head coach Jerome Tang, whose team beat Chicago State, 62-55, at Bramlage Coliseum on Tuesday. "The most of what I hope we do is develop men and teach them how to be great people first and love their teammates and care about the team more than they care about themselves. This week coming back, minutes in practice were cut down, and Taj could've stood on the sideline and sulked. Instead, he sent a text message to Anthony Winchester, who had the scout, and asked him if he could be on the scout team.
"You have a scholarship guy volunteering to be on the scout team to help the team in any way he can. Because of that he was ready for this (moment)."
Manning had four points and three rebounds in a career-high 15 minutes and registered a plus-12 on the efficiency chart against Chicago State.
"We needed energy, and I knew he'd bring energy," Tang says. "His minutes out there changed it. He was ready. He didn't sulk or pout. He just keeps working. I don't know what it's going to look like moving forward for him, but you can count on a guy like that in the long run."
Here's a guy who redshirted last season. Manning was a consensus 3-star prospect and among the top 200 prospects nationally after playing at Grandview (Missouri) High School, Bishop Miege (Kansas) High School, and La Lumiere School (Indiana). He opted to sit out the Wildcats' run to the Elite Eight.
"It was a long season, but it was still fun," he says. "There were a lot of games last year I saw how much fun everybody was having on the court, and I'd be like, 'Man, I can't wait to get out there.'
"I knew I was sitting for the bigger picture."
And now he's getting his chance to the delight of his teammates.
"Man, Taj works so hard," says Cam Carter, who scored a game-high 19 points against Chicago State. "He has a great mind. He wasn't playing that much this season, but he never gave up and he just keeps fighting. We thank him for that."
Adds Arthur Kaluma, who had 14 points and 13 rebounds in Tuesday's win: "Outstanding character. Not a lot of people offer to be on the scout team. For him to go out there and have the courage and have the selflessness that he has, and then to come out and produce — plus-12, that's amazing — I'm super proud of my guy.
"This is just the start of something special for him."
Manning entered Tuesday's game with three points and seven rebounds in 25 total minutes of action in three games.
He continues to adhere to a simple plan: Stay selfless and stay alert.
"I knew I was playing a pretty good game but my whole mindset coming in, every game I don't know if I'm going to get in or not, so I try to stay in the game mentally," he says. "Whether I'm going to get in or not, I'm mentally locked in so times like tonight when my number is called, I'm ready."
There's really no idea how the season might unfurl for Manning. But better believe it'll likely be a victory in his book because of his selflessness to his coaches and teammates. It surely paid dividends against Chicago State.
"What I know is I could count on him to bring energy and do the things we needed to tonight," Tang said, "and I'm glad he proved me right."
A special night, indeed.
A night that started with a simple text.
Players Mentioned
K-State Football | Chris Klieman Press Conference - Sept. 8, 2025
Monday, September 08
K-State Football | Pregame Hype vs Army
Friday, September 05
K-State Men's Basketball | Hang With Tang On The Go (Season 4, Episode 1)
Friday, September 05
K-State Football | Matt Wells Press Conference Sept. 4, 2025
Thursday, September 04