Iowa State Basketball Coach Shares What Taj Manning Brings to Team

The Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball team had one of the best seasons in program history, winning 29 games and advancing to the Sweet 16 again.

T.J. Otzelberger has done incredible work turning things around in Ames. They have made the NCAA tournament all five years he has been at the helm, despite him taking over a program that won only two games the season before he arrived.

Success has come because he has done a great job of consistently restocking the talent pipeline every offseason. This one was no different, having to replace his Big 3 of Tamin Lipsey, Joshua Jefferson and Milan Momcilovic, and Nate Heise.

Iowa State found a ton of success in the transfer portal, including securing a commitment from Taj Manning. The former Kansas State Wildcats forward is someone that Otzelberger is really excited to have in the frontcourt mix with his versatile skill set.

T.J. Otzelberger raves about Taj Manning's two-way ability

Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger speaks to media. — Mar 26, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger speaks ahead of the Midwest regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at United Center. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

"Taj Manning's physicality will control the paint on both ends," Otzelberger said, via the team's website. "Offensively, his ability to chase down rebounds and finish around the basket will punish teams inside. He also has the ability to attack closeouts and knockdown open shots. Taj has tremendous defensive versatility and can guard the basketball one-through-five. His communication, maturity and leadership will impact every member of our program. We recruited Taj out of high school and are excited to reconnect with him on this journey."

It took a few years, but Otzelberger finally landed his guy in Manning. With four years of experience at Kansas State after redshirting as a freshman, he is an easy plug-and-play option in the frontcourt.

All the other transfers that the Cyclones added this period are making a jump up in competition from a mid-major program. Manning has years of experience in the Big 12, which will make his transition all the easier.

The physicality and defensive versatility that Otzelberger mentioned are what the team will need most from him. There was a lot that Iowa State did right this past season, but the Tennessee Volunteers exposed its lack of size in the Sweet 16.

Taj Manning address's teams need for size

Kansas State's Taj Manning battles Texas Tech's Luke Bamgboye for a rebound during a Big 12 Conference men's basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, in United Supermarkets Arena. | Nathan Giese/Avalancheo-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Without Joshua Jefferson in the lineup, their SEC foes bludgeoned them on the glass. Blake Buchanan and Dominykas Pleta were overwhelmed without the star power forward next to them in the lineup.

That deficiency should no longer exist in the 2026-27 season. Manning averaged 5.1 rebounds in only 20.7 minutes per game. His 13.9% total rebounding rate and 11.6% offensive rebounding rate ranked 17th and 10th in the Big 12, respectively.

Another area he will help with is protecting the rim. His 3.7% block rate was 18th in the conference, and he has produced a Defensive Box Plus/Minus of at least 1.7 in all three years of his collegiate career.

If Otzelberger and his staff can help develop Manning’s offense game at all, he is going to be a two-way impact performer for the program.

Add us as a preferred source on Google