South Dakota's Trey Burch-Manning, a 6-foot-6 sophomore forward from Federal Way, Wash., came to USD with one thing on his mind, winning.
"My goal is to win the Summit League," Burch-Manning said. "I want to move onto the tournament and make a run. Not once, but all three years."
Burch-Manning already has a good start to his goal, helping the Coyotes to five-straight wins to open the season, their best start in the Division I era, before a pair of losses in the Gulf Coast Showcase where they finished fourth. Along the way, Burch-Manning won the season's first Summit League Player of the Week award after leading South Dakota in points and rebounds in each of the first two games.
"The coaches put in a lot of time with me this summer," Burch-Manning said. "They have a lot of confidence in me and I have a lot of confidence in my team. With me being recognized, I feel like our team is being recognized."
Before coming to USD, Burch-Manning spent a year in junior college at North Idaho College, where he helped his team to a 30-0 record before losing in its district final and first game of the NJCAA tournament. He averaged 7.9 points and 4.4 rebounds at North Idaho and believes he can bring a winning attitude from his time there to the Coyotes.
"I am the guy that is willing to do whatever it takes to win," Burch-Manning said. "I feel like that is important to bring to a team to be successful."
During North Idaho's final run of the season, Burch-Manning's recruitment took off with coaches and scouts taking notice, including South Dakota head coach Craig Smith, whose program stood out to Burch-Manning more than any other.
"I felt like a priority," Burch-Manning said. "Coach Smith is a phenomenal guy. I wanted to play for a coach who pushes his players on and off the court. Everyone I met in Vermillion had this presence and attitude that made me feel like this is the school for me."
In high school, Burch-Manning played in a competitive district with four schools in Federal Way alone.
"The rivalries there were pretty intense," Burch-Manning said. "You could always expect good competition."
After his senior season, the area saw many of its athletes sign with Division I schools, but Burch-Manning saw interest from only Division II institutions. To pursue his dream of playing Division I basketball, he decided to head to junior college.
"It hurts your confidence a little bit when you see others going D-1 who you know, but at the same time you feel good for them," Burch-Manning said. "I chose the JUCO route and I can't put into words how well it worked out well for me."
Touted by Coach Smith as a player who can do a little bit of everything, Burch-Manning picked up his skills from a young age. In youth basketball he was always the tallest player on the team, but his coach put him at point guard in the first half to develop his ball-handling skills and center in the second half to develop his skills on the block.
"I can take a smaller player on the block, a slower player on the wing, and I can shoot," Burch-Manning said. "It is easier when you can do multiple things to help your team get going. Maybe it will give you the extra spark or energy to get the win."
