A story from September. Note that he wants to study Engineering. I know that YSU's Engineering program was highly thought of back in the Stone Age when I was on campus. I assume it still is one of the better Schools in campus?
http://www.sourcehoops.com/center-of-attention-dan-manzi/Tonight’s spotlight on the center position falls on Dan Manzi, a 6’10 senior at Tampa Bay Christian Academy. A native of Rwanda, Manzi played in July with Florida Select. Derek Holmes, Head Coach and Director of the program, was kind enough to spend time with us regarding Manzi and what he brings to the court.
“Dan generally was a match-up problem for the other team”, said Holmes. “In the post he has good footwork and a good pair of hands. He’s strong and able to score more often than not when he gets the ball down low. Dan also has the ability to knock down jump shots to fifteen feet as well as put the ball on the floor for a couple of dribbles and score from either the high post or short corner. He also is a solid post defender and while maybe not a big time leaper, he still is able to block and alter shots. Dan wasn’t always able to play his best ball in July because of a lingering foot injury. He should be more than ready to go once the high school season starts.”
Holmes believes Manzi’s greatest strength is his ability to score both inside and out.
“Dan gets off the floor well for his jumper and has a soft touch”, Holmes stated. “He’s effective inside with a lefty jump hook. He can play in the high post and either hit shots from the foul line or get by his defender after a pump fake and score at the rim after a single dribble.”
Manzi still has some progress to make on both ends of the court to make an impact at the next level according to Holmes.
“Defensively, he has some work to do when it comes to defending the pick-and-roll. He has to know when to hedge on the dribbler or stay with his man. On the offensive end, Dan sometimes goes a bit too fast when making his post move. He’ll travel or rush the shot. All those things will be corrected with repetition.”
Holmes was kind enough to put us in touch with Terrance Nelson, Manzi’s legal guardian, who gave us a list of schools looking to secure Manzi’s signature on a LOI.
“Right now he has offers from Columbia, Jacksonville, Texas Pan-Am, Miami (OH), Youngstown State, and some others”, stated Nelson. “Schools such as Southern Cal, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida Gulf Coast, and South Florida are showing increasing interest. Dan is very bright and wants to study engineering in college, so schools like Clemson and Purdue, high majors with good engineering programs, would be wise to take closer look.”
Nelson was quick to respond when we asked what pro or college player Manzi resembles.
“For me, I think he’s similar to Juwan Howard”, said Nelson. “He has length, the ability to play inside or outside, is a solid defender and isn’t flashy, just effective.”
