After several years of hard work on his body and game, Bella Vista Prep 6-foot-10, 264-pound junior post Emmanuel Kabasele Tshimanga has improved a great deal, and is now looking to have a strong junior season for head coach Kyle Weaver and his newly developed program.
Tshimanga has dropped 30 pounds over the last year, and now, much quicker and more agile for his size, he is beginning to come into his own as a college prospect. This season looks to be a breakout season for the hard-working Tshimanga, as he will look to showcase his new body and skillset this season to college coaches across the country.
A native of Montreal Canada, Tshimanga attended South Pointe High School his freshman and sophomore seasons, before transferring to Bella Vista Prep this season.
Bella Vista Prep will begin their first season of having a National High School team. The school's National team will play other prep schools this high school season, and will also play on the Grind Circuit. The program will also feature a CAA member high school team that will compete against other CAA programs.
Tshimanga will help to anchor the National team this high school season alongside 7-foot-1 junior post Rick Issanza and 6-foot-7 highly touted junior wing Terry Armstrong.
At 6-9 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.
Most college coaches around the country have not yet seen Tshimanga, but as they begin to see him this season, he should become a very intriguing prospect for college programs to take a very hard look at for Arizona's 2019 class. While the 2019 class in Arizona is very loaded with talented prospects, the class lacks much true size. Tshimanga is a one of the few true post prospects in the state's class, which should suit him very nicely over time in his college recruitment.
Tshimanga is also the younger brother of University of Nebraska 6-foot-11 sophomore standout post Jordy Tshimanga, so he has excellent basketball bloodlines.
Tshimanga is also an excellent student that carries a 3.8 CUM GPA, and has an amazing personality as a young man.
I will continue to watch him closely as he continues to develop this high school season, and bring you any recruiting updates on him throughout the high school season.