Typical, workmanlike weekend out of Mancho who is the paint presence at both ends for a Thrill group that went 4-0 in S1. The bruising 6-foot-9 native of Cameroon was as efficient as they come on his looks around the cup. Whether his opportunities came off setting punishing ball screens followed by a hard roll to the rim, sitting in the dunker’s spot as guards established paint touches for dump-offs or with quick dives to the rim as the ball was driven baseline, Mancho was automatic with his tight window catches and below the rim hooks.

Loved the activity from Mancho from the jump on Saturday morning. Particularly in the first scrimmage for Thrill against KLow, Mancho was dominant for stretches in his typical, low maintenance manner as a punishing screen setter, active diver to the rim and establishing deep position on post touches. Mancho does such a nice job of commanding and anchoring the paint defensively with a wide base to take up more space and eliminate passing windows. He hedged aggressively and kept the opposing guard from turning the corner after communicating with his teammate on the coverage. Most importantly, Mancho looked spry on movements offensively and got off the ground quickly to finish dunks with authority.

-You always know what you’re getting from Mancho whether the scoring is there on that particular night or not. Mancho gives his team a vocal leader both on the court and from the bench (cannot stress the importance of the latter enough in today’s landscape), plays with energy at both ends of the floor, and has improved his touch from both the free throw line as well as around the basket. His timing in both the setting of the screen and the roll to the rim off of it have improved to cut down on offensive fouls in addition to more space for his guards to operate in the halfcourt. If he can become a more explosive leaper to capitalize on the positioning that he fights for around the rim, he could develop into a devastatingly-effective rebounder and play-finisher around the rim.

Despite not registering a shot attempt until the second half, Mancho made an unmistakable impact throughout the game for the Cougars as they cruised into the championship game. It’s hard not to appreciate Mancho’s old-school commitment to starring in his role, providing nonstop energy and communication as a physical, athletic presence up front. He imposed his will on the glass to the tune of 9 rebounds while getting going as a cleanup man in the second half for 7 points. Mancho also shows intriguing flashes of feel and ballhandling skill when placed on the perimeter offensively. He’s a tad undersized relative to high-major bigs in his mold but should be coveted by a wide variety of D1 programs over the next year.

14p 6r 2b vs St. Mary’s

-Mancho’s motor, communication skills on the back line, and sheer size in the paint make him such a valuable piece for this Cougars group. Mancho started things off when he raced back to pin a block on the glass, showed the footwork development on a post catch and step through between the double team to score it off the window, hit a 1-handed putback through the foul, scored off a reverse pivot in traffic, and showed hard on PnR coverages. The touch around the rim was off for most of the day with Mancho missing his first shot but getting his own rebound to stick the putback several times. His unselfish play has given his team a nice boost throughout the season and he will have to man the paint well the rest of the way against some of the best frontcourts in the league.

Mancho was on the receiving end of Wilson’s lob with 1 second remaining in overtime in the play that lifted the Cougars to their second-straight title. He anchored the middle defensively along with Howard, acts as the quarterback with his willingness to speak up through all actions. He hauled in rebounds, quickly found guard for outlets and put his head down to rim-run where he was rewarded on a couple of possessions. The high-energy big man has been vital in Mt. Carmel’s back-to-back run and will be key as they set their sight to the BCL Tournament on Sunday.

Mt. Carmel suffered a tough loss on the road to a Spalding team that is on a heater, but Mancho still caught my eye not only with his usual activity in the paint, but also his passing as opposing guards dug down whenever he put in on the floor. A lot of times, bigs will operate from the block and dribble one time too many or are slow at anticipating digs/doubles that lead to turnovers. Mancho was quick to attack on his block touches, but also scanned the floor before the catch to know who the open teammate would be on the weak side or anticipate another cutting to the rim as their defender turned their head. The Cameroon native finished with eight points, five rebounds and an impressive five assists.

The top junior post prospect in the state, Mancho is always a delight to watch thanks to the boundless two-way energy that he brings to the floor. Mancho knows his role and sticks to it, acting as a consistent enforcer in the paint on both ends with his blend of physicality, athleticism, and an unmatched motor. He anchors the defense as an imposing rim protector who’s quick enough to step out on switches, while acting as a release valve for his guards offensively with emphatic slams and flashes of budding skill. While the native of Cameroon is just a tad undersized for his projected role at the highest levels, his intangibles help to make up for it in a big way.

The definition of an anchor, Mancho has provided just that for the defending BCL and MIAA A Conference champions. They’ll be in good position to defend that title as they sit with a 15-4 overall record and recently just lost their first conference game to a surging John Carroll team. As for Mancho individually, he’s been a disruptive force around the rim defensively and a determined rebounder even out of his area. He’s one of the most willing communicators you’ll find in the region, which provides clarity to his teammates on coverages in a number of scenarios. Offensively, he stays to what he does best and that’s setting punishing screens, rolling with a purpose and finishing strong through contact around the bucket.

Mancho was the definition of an anchor as he owned the paint last night for the Cougars. St. Frances’ frontline didn’t have anyone who could matchup pound-for-pound with the bruising junior and he made that known on both ends. He dictated space and refused to be moved out of position. On high ball screens, Mancho was aggressively hedging with high hands and forcing the ball handler into traps, which resulted in turnovers on more than one occasion for himself to have a free runway for two-handed dunks. As usual, he was an effective communicator making all actions known from the back line, he ripped down rebounds at their peak, and did a nice job of finishing around the rim with some improved footwork. Mancho scored 10 points, but impacted the box score in many other ways in the winning effort.