FORT MYERS, FLA.- Following an All-Conference freshman season and a hot start to his sophomore campaign, Florida SouthWestern State sophomore Charles Manning Jr. has signed at LSU during the NCAA's early signing period which began on Wednesday.
Manning Jr. played in 32 games for the Bucs last season, averaging 12.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game while shooting 54% from the field. He scored in double figures 22 times as a rookie including a 27-point explosion against St. Petersburg which earned him NJCAA Region 8 Player of the Week honors.
He has been even better this season for FSW, averaging 16.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per night while leading the Bucs to a perfect 6-0 record in the early going. Manning Jr. has been about as consistent as you can be, scoring 17, 18, 19, 19, and 20 in the five games that he has played 20 minutes or more this season.
LSU is ranked #22 in the latest AP Top 25 following a 4-0 start to the season which has included wins over UNC Greensboro and Memphis. Manning Jr. will play for Coach Will Wade who begins his second year on the end of the Tiger bench in 2018-19.
"I am extremely excited for Charles" FSW Head Coach Eric Murphy said. "He has worked so hard to get to this level. He put in extra work all summer and has done the same throughout the season for us so far. Him signing to LSU means a lot to the program. It shows the caliber of players that we have on our roster and we are proud of that. We are excited for him and look forward to watching him continue to develop for us and then years to come with LSU."
Manning Jr. and the rest of the 10th ranked Bucs take the court again on Tuesday in Suncoast Credit Union Arena when they take on ASA Miami in a 7 PM tip.
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SUNCOAST CREDIT UNION ARENA
The Buccaneers compete in the brand new Suncoast Credit Union Arena. Suncoast Credit Union Arena is approximately 75,000 square feet and is home to the FSW basketball teams and a student athletic center. The arena seats approximately 3,300 fans and includes six skyboxes, a hospitality event center, competition courts that convert into recreational courts, athletic office space, student, faculty and staff wellness, and an athletic center with a fitness pavilion, men's and women's locker rooms and a weight training area. The arena has two Daktronics displays, on the north and south walls, that each measure 10 feet high by 20 feet wide. Both displays incorporate variable content zoning to each show one large image or they can be divided into multiple windows to show any variety of live video, instant replays, up-to-the-minute statistics, graphics and animations, and sponsorship messages. One-hundred feet of ribbon displays have been installed on the east and west walls of the arena. The ribbons provide the opportunity to supplement the content on the main displays as well as highlight sponsors throughout events.