NCAA Basketball: 10 best players from state of Montana of last decade

3. Kendal Manuel – Oregon State / Montana

A 6’4 guard from Billings, Manuel was another Montana native who carved out a unique path through the college game. He originally committed to Oregon State and played under Wayne Tinkle for a pair of season, having redshirted due to an injury as a freshman. He was less of a factor as a sophomore and later transferred to Montana, playing a pair of seasons back in his home state for the Grizzlies.

He started most of the games as a freshman and had a 20-point performance against Washington State, but the Beavers won just 5 games on the season. Manuel was not a factor as a sophomore before deciding to transfer to Montana. He had some nice performances in his first season with the Grizzlies, but really developed into a stud in his final season. As a senior, Manuel averaged 15.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, starting every game for the Grizzlies, with a 30-point effort against Northern Colorado becoming his career-high.

Manuel didn’t latch on at Oregon State, but was the Big Sky’s Sixth Man of the Year as a junior and named to the All-Big Sky Second Team as a senior. He played in the NCAA Tournament during that first season with the Grizzlies and put up some impressive numbers overall with Montana, ranking in the top 10 in conference in points and field goal percentage as a senior. With his collegiate career over, Manuel has continued to play basketball overseas, most recently suiting up in France.