US-born Zimbabwean basketball starlet Cameron Manyawu has verbally committed to Indiana State University ahead of the 2023 – 20224 season.
The highly-rated forward is the son of US-based Zimbabwean basketball great Fred Manyawu, who played for Park University in the late 90s to early 2000s.
His brother Fred Manyawu Jnr also played for Missouri Western State University, where he earned Midwest Conference All-American honours in each of his three seasons before entering the 2015 NBA Draft.
Now young Cameron has an opportunity to surpass both his father and brother’s achievements with the famed Indiana State University Sycamores after committing on Tuesday.
The 2.05m (6-foot-9) Manyawu, who will turn 17 later this month, had received several scholarships offers from several top US universities but in the end, opted to join the Sycamores as a true freshman for the 2023-24 season.
“I really like the coaching staff. It’s a nice place. It’s a nice campus, not too big, not too small. Playing with the players, it felt like home, it felt like how I feel here with a nice family vibe,” Manyawu said.
110% committed #gosycamores pic.twitter.com/4MmhYvKfB7
— Cameron Manyawu (@CameronManyawu) August 30, 2022
Offensively, Manyawu can run and spread the floor. He can also put the ball on the floor and get to the rim, a key attribute in Indiana State coach Josh Schertz’s offense. And, if need be, he can post up. Defensively, Manyawu is a shot-blocker and is an effective rebounder.
“I’m a versatile forward. I can get rebounds and push it on the break. I have an improving jumper and I play hard on defense and I can defend the rim. At Indiana State, they play position-less basketball, you have to have a high IQ. I feel it fits me perfectly,” Manyawu said.
Manyawu made his Indiana State University visit back in June after they initially showed interest in December.
“Bryston and my coach [Chris Neff] are real tight, so he came and talked to me in the middle of December. He felt I had the tools to be a good player,” Manyawu said. “I started playing my AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) season and I kind of blew up my first weekend of playing. That’s when they got in touch with me.”
Manyawu plays for and attends Kansas City Staley High School where he hot 61% and had 5.2 rebounds (2.4 were offensive boards) for the Falcons.
Manyawu also averaged 7.1 points, 1.2 blocks and one steal for Staley.