When you think of Kansas State basketball, you probably think about PJ Haggerty, Abdi Bashir Jr., or David Castillo. But one player is making his presence known behind the scenes as well: veteran guard Taj Manning.
As a three-year Wildcats player, Manning brings familiarity to a team full of new faces. And beyond the stat sheets, he's making an impact on team winning. Haggerty compared Manning to Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green, known for his defensive intensity and tangible contributions, even if they don't necessarily show up in the box score.
"Taj is a hard worker," Haggerty said in his postgame press conference. "He’s not really looking out there to score. He can score, but he’s just doing the little things. He's like a Draymond Green, just the spirit he brings. He’s been here a couple of years, so he knows the expectations. He just comes in, plays hard, and plays his role. We all love Taj."
In his season-high 20 minutes in the South Dakota victory, he had six points, five rebounds, and two blocks. His defense, veteran presence, and high rebounding rate complement the backcourt's high scoring with true point guard play. Kansas State coach Jerome Tang expressed his pride in seeing Manning thrive on the court, encouraging this version of him to show all the time.
"Man, how good was he? I told him at practice, 'I need you to practice like when you have the black shirt on, not like when you have the white shirt on,'" Tang said. "You get on the team with the white shirt, and all of a sudden, you look like you’re trying not to make a mistake. When you’re on the black shirts, you’re flying around, and you’re grabbing this and that. I believe in you, so just relax and play and go be Taj."
His teammates recognize his impact as well, especially given his long tenure in Manhattan, KS.
"Definitely, especially since he was on the team that made that deep run, so he kind of knows what a team needs to do to be able to win like that," Nate Johnson said. "He just comes in and plays his role. When he wasn’t playing, he was doing the same routine as now. Still shoots like every day, still gets his treatment and stuff, so nothing's really changed. He's just getting more minutes, and it's showing.
The Wildcats play Louisiana-Monroe on Sunday afternoon.