MOBILE, Ala. – University of South Alabama head men's basketball coach Richie Riley has announced that Charles Manning Jr. has signed a grant-in-aid and enrolled in school.
He will be eligible to compete for the Jaguars during the 2021-22 season after appearing in 25 contests at LSU the last season-and-a-half.
"Charles is a big guard with unbelievable versatility, he has competed and had success at the highest level of college basketball," said Riley. "This is a huge addition to our program and I can't wait to help him get to his dreams and goals."
Manning competed in six games, making one start, for the Tigers this year, posting 25 points and 18 rebounds as well as five assists and three steals while averaging over 18 minutes per outing. He scored a season-best nine points and grabbed four rebounds in a win over Texas A&M in LSU's first Southeastern Conference contest, also recording six points in a defeat of Nicholls and seven boards in a victory over Sam Houston State. Manning averaged 7.9 points and 3.2 rebounds per game — he was also credited with 20 assists, 20 blocks and 10 steals — while shooting 50 percent from the field his first year with the Tigers, playing more than 22 minutes per contest while seeing action on 19 occasions despite suffering a pair of foot injuries that required surgery. He scored in double digits six times during the season, with a career-high 16 in a win over UMBC, 15 in a one-point victory over Mississippi State and 13 as the Tigers defeated New Orleans.
A third-team National Junior College Athletic Association All-American in 2019, Manning recorded 16.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.1 steals per outing to help lead Florida SouthWestern State C.C. to the Suncoast Conference championship as well as a fifth-place finish at the NJCAA Tournament. He was selected second-team all-league his first season with the Bucs after averaging 12.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per contest.
As a senior at Combine (N.C.) Academy, Manning had averages of 14 points, six rebounds and 2.5 steals per game, while the previous season the Riverhead, N.Y., resident helped guide Bridgehampton H.S. to its first title in 17 years as the Killer Bees claimed the Class D championship after finishing 22-2 overall.
The Jaguars' 2021-22 recruiting class now includes six individuals: four-year transfers Tyrell Jones (Chicago, Ill., Auburn), Manning and Diante Smith (Fort Walton Beach, Fla., TCU), junior-college transfer Marshall Kearing (Perth, Australia, State College of Florida) and current high school seniors Alex Anderson (Millington, Tenn.) and Tyler Shirley (Mableton, Ga.).
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
Join the South Circle, the unrestricted giving option of the University of South Alabama Athletics. Contributions to the South Circle directly support all 17 sports in addition to various support programming. For more information on how you can join visit: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/give
—USA—
