After a long recruiting process and a long wait for himself to find his right college fit, Bella Vista Prep 6-foot-10, 265-pound senior post Emmanuel Tshimanga is now off the recruiting board, after signing a scholarship with a program from the Big-West Conference.
With many members of the Bella Vista Prep program and members of the media in attendance, Tshimanga signed a national letter of intent with UC-Irvine on Wednesday morning, giving Head Coach Russell Turner and his dedicated staff another signee for the 2019 Class.
Tshimanga chose UC-Irvine over offers from Tulsa and Dayton, and also heavy interest from numerous other programs throughout his final senior season. After going throughout much of the spring and summer's (2018) NCAA evaluation period with very few serious scholarship offers on the table for himself, Tshimanga waited it out for the right fit for himself, and he finally found it in UC-Irvine, a consistent program that won the Big West Conference last season and was a member of the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
"It feels great to finally end my recruiting process, as I have time to now work on myself and focus on finishing the school year strong," said Tshimanga to Arizona Preps. "The thing I liked the most (about UC-Irvine) is the coaches and their passionate way of seeing the potential in me - knowing that I would be able to help them."
Tshimanga played last spring and summer with the Billups Elite (CO) club program, a club program organized by NBA former all-star guard Chauncey Billups.
Tshimanga has improved a great deal as a player over the past several years, after dropping 30 pounds, and now is much quicker and more agile for his size, and just beginning to realize his potential as a player. A native of Montreal Canada, Tshimanga attended South Pointe High School his freshman and sophomore seasons, before transferring to Bella Vista Prep as a junior, where he spent his final two seasons - helping the program this season to win the Grind Session circuit, and becoming one of the nation's elite prep programs.
At 6-10 in height, Tshimanga is a large post talent with big hands and feet and a large frame that he uses to gain excellent inside post position inside the paint. He has good low-post footwork and a nice jump-hook, which he uses effectively to score inside the paint. He also possesses a good shooting stroke with range, which allows him to score from the perimeter. Tshimanga's best quality is his size, which is a rare find. He also has excellent work ethic and has worked very hard to get into better shape for himself.
Tshimanga is also an excellent student that carries a 3.8 CUM GPA, and has an amazing personality as a young man.
"The thing I have to work on the most is my body," said Tshimanga. "Playing at the next level will be grind and at the position I’ll be playing, so I’m looking forward to getting to campus and working with the strength and conditioning staff at UCI."
Tshimanga went on to say, "I want to give thanks to my brother Yannick and the staff at Bella Vista College Prep for believing in me and helping me through this process."
Congratulations to Tshimanga and the Bella Vista Prep basketball program from our Arizona Preps' staff on this amazing accomplishment for a young man that has worked very hard to reach new heigths, and is well-deserving of this opportunity.
Arizona Hoop Review Scouting Report: At 6-10 in height, Tshimanga is a large post talent with big hands and feet and a large frame that he uses to gain excellent inside post position inside the paint. He has good low-post footwork and a nice jump-hook, which he uses effectively to score inside the paint. He does not mind physical contact, in fact he relishes it, and gets to the free-throw line quite often as a result. He is a good finisher inside the painted area of the floor, and also possesses a good shooting stroke with range, which allows him to score from the perimeter. Tshimanga's best quality is his tremendous size, which is a rare find. He also has excellent work ethic and has worked very hard to get into better shape for himself. He runs the floor well and gets into very good position around the basket for scoring opportunities. A very good offensive rebounder. A solid athlete but not very vertical off the floor, but his ability to use his body and lengthy wingspan allow him to make plays against bigger low-post defenders. A capable shotblocker. Has very good potential for the future, especially if he can continue to develop his body and stay in great shape. A good sleeper low-post prospect.
