Kendal Manuel Joins Men's Basketball Team
July 08, 2015 | Men's Basketball
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Kendal Manuel (pronounced man-well) has signed a financial aid agreement to join the Oregon State men's basketball program for the 2015-16 season, head coach Wayne Tinkle announced Wednesday.
Manuel, a 6-foot-4, 180-pound guard from Billings, Mont., joins a recruiting class that's ranked in the top 20 nationally, the highest-ranking class in program history.
The class also includes Derrick Bruce, a 6-foot-3, 165-pound guard from Morena Valley, Calif.; Drew Eubanks, a 6-foot-10, 240-pound forward from Troutdale, Ore.; Gligorije Rakocevic, a 6-foot-10, 245-pound center from Bijelo Polj, Montenegro; Stephen Thompson, Jr., a 6-foot-4, 170-pound guard from Torrance, Calif., and Tres Tinkle, a 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward from Missoula, Mont.
“Kendal is an athletic shooting guard who played with my son's AAU team the last couple of years, so I'm very familiar with his game,” Wayne Tinkle said. “He's young for his age. He doesn't turn 18 until mid-September and he's already graduated.
“We think he has a bright future. He can really shoot the ball and is one of the better shooters out there. He has great length and athleticism and we think he can become a really good defender.
“He's a high-character kid, a great student who is thinking about going pre-med. So he's a talented player but, more importantly, he has high character and is a great student.”
Manuel, who was the No. 2 prospect in the state of Montana, led Skyview High School to the Class AA state championship in 2015 and was voted the tournament's Most Valuable Player. He was named First-Team All-State the past two years, while averaging 19.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists as a senior and 21.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists as a junior.
A three-star recruit by 247 Sports, Manuel was a Gatorade Montana Boys Basketball Player of the Year nominee in 2014 and 2015 and selected the Eastern Conference Most Valuable Player both of those years.
Manuel chose Oregon State because “it felt like home, family atmosphere from teammates and coaches, and the community support.”
Here are highlights of Manuel and Tres Tinkle at the 2015 Montana Class AA State Tournament:
