Indiana University Athletics
‘Tremendous’ Upside -- Manhertz Seeks to Play to his Potential
8/10/2026 10:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Doubt? Of course there was some of that for Trevor Manhertz, a slender true first-year player facing grown men in Indiana basketball practices, veterans who are formidable in size and experience.
Case in point -- 7-foot-2, 290-pound Samet Yigitoglu and 6-foot-11, 255-pound Aiden Sherrell.
"It's hard going against them," Manhertz says, "but they will prepare me for the season."
The 6-foot-8, 185-pounder from North Carolina is deep into preparations, first during summer practices, then during the Hoosiers' 98-64 mid-July exhibition victory over Team Canada, and finally through the late-July FISU America Games in Peru. He brings a 7-foot wingspan, strong perimeter shooting, and a ceiling he isn't close to reaching yet.
The key, Manhertz says, is learning to "be yourself."
"If you're not, you won't be confident in what you're doing and you'll question everything. If you be yourself, you can get the maximum out of this."
Maximum comes in measured doses for an Indiana team rich in talent, depth, and potential. Consider this candid moment in the days leading up to the exhibition victory. Asked what's the biggest thing he has to work on, and Manhertz says, "My confidence."
"Right now, it's a new team. I'm getting to know everyone, but I'm not as confident as I was last year. Getting my confidence back up is the biggest thing. I'll get there."
His exhibition performance was a big step in that direction -- 10 points, four rebounds, and one assist in 22 minutes, including a pair of 3-pointers. In four games in Peru, he totaled 32 points, 19 rebounds, three steals, and two blocks while shooting 64.7% from the field and making 6-of-12 3-pointers.
Coach Darian DeVries praises Manhertz's versatility and ability to guard multiple positions. He saw the potential during the recruitment process, and then more this summer.
"Trevor is one of those guys, maybe on the first week you look at his size and think, well, he's got to bulk up and stuff," DeVries says. "Sure, he's got to do that. But I tell you what, he sticks his nose in there. He's got an incredible feel for the game for being such a young player. He understands where guys are going to be, the concepts of offense, the concepts of defense.
"I think his upside is tremendous. I think you saw flashes of that (against Team Canada). That's why we're so excited about him and some of the things he's been doing. He's got great length. His skill set is really good. He's just scratching the surface, which is awesome."
Scratching will include gaining weight, strength and physicality.
"I take what they give me -- protein shakes, food, all of that," Manhertz says. "It's helped."
So has Manhertz's coaching receptiveness.
"The coaches have been very helpful," he says. "They tell me to shoot; they tell me when I make a good play, and when I make a bad play; they tell me to do it again and make the right read out of it. They're encouraging me to always do the right things. That always helps."
Asked to describe his game, and Manhertz says, "I'm a shot maker. My ability to make the right play on the offensive side is really good. So is my passing. On defense, it's my off-ball defense."
Through it all, Manhertz works to adapt to college conditioning and physicality.
"That was expected," he says.
When it comes to advice and leadership, Manhertz looks to second-year forward Trent Sisley (the only returning Hoosier player) and fourth-year point guard Markus Burton (the heralded Notre Dame transfer).
"When I was here before we started working out (as a team), if I did something wrong, Trent would let me know. We built a good connection. We're in the same position group and he's always helping me do the right things. I just follow him."
Manhertz says he rooms with fellow first-year players Prince-Alexander Moody and Vaughn Karvala.
"We go out to dinner every night. It's been fun. Prince is an all-around player. So is Vaughn. We complement each other well."
The overall summer goal was to build chemistry. Manhertz says it's "gone really well."
"We've gotten a lot of good connections."
Manhertz comes from an athletic family. His father, Joe, played basketball for Colgate and is now senior associate athletic director for development at VCU. His mother, Alexis, played volleyball for Georgia Southern and works at Duke.
A year ago, Manhertz was considered a mid-major prospect drawing interest from schools such as UNC Asheville, Charlotte, Boston, and Northeastern. A strong summer showing and an impressive high school season in Cary, North Carolina (averaging 18.8 points while shooting 42 percent on 3-pointers) had recruiting services elevate him to top-35 national status in the class of 2027. Major college programs began calling. He decided to switch to the Class of 2026.
Manhertz says IU assistant coach Rod Clark was instrumental in his choosing the Hoosiers over programs such as Duke and Louisville. He signed in April.
"Coach Clark didn't just recruit me as an athlete and a player, but as a person," Manhertz says. "All the coaches believed in me. They saw my potential."
That included DeVries.
"You can tell he's very invested in the team," Manhertz says. "He wants us to be good. He makes sure we do everything right and don't cut corners. That's been very beneficial."
As for his role this season, Manhertz says, "I want to contribute any way I can and help us win games."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Doubt? Of course there was some of that for Trevor Manhertz, a slender true first-year player facing grown men in Indiana basketball practices, veterans who are formidable in size and experience.
Case in point -- 7-foot-2, 290-pound Samet Yigitoglu and 6-foot-11, 255-pound Aiden Sherrell.
"It's hard going against them," Manhertz says, "but they will prepare me for the season."
The 6-foot-8, 185-pounder from North Carolina is deep into preparations, first during summer practices, then during the Hoosiers' 98-64 mid-July exhibition victory over Team Canada, and finally through the late-July FISU America Games in Peru. He brings a 7-foot wingspan, strong perimeter shooting, and a ceiling he isn't close to reaching yet.
The key, Manhertz says, is learning to "be yourself."
"If you're not, you won't be confident in what you're doing and you'll question everything. If you be yourself, you can get the maximum out of this."
Maximum comes in measured doses for an Indiana team rich in talent, depth, and potential. Consider this candid moment in the days leading up to the exhibition victory. Asked what's the biggest thing he has to work on, and Manhertz says, "My confidence."
"Right now, it's a new team. I'm getting to know everyone, but I'm not as confident as I was last year. Getting my confidence back up is the biggest thing. I'll get there."
His exhibition performance was a big step in that direction -- 10 points, four rebounds, and one assist in 22 minutes, including a pair of 3-pointers. In four games in Peru, he totaled 32 points, 19 rebounds, three steals, and two blocks while shooting 64.7% from the field and making 6-of-12 3-pointers.
Coach Darian DeVries praises Manhertz's versatility and ability to guard multiple positions. He saw the potential during the recruitment process, and then more this summer.
"Trevor is one of those guys, maybe on the first week you look at his size and think, well, he's got to bulk up and stuff," DeVries says. "Sure, he's got to do that. But I tell you what, he sticks his nose in there. He's got an incredible feel for the game for being such a young player. He understands where guys are going to be, the concepts of offense, the concepts of defense.
"I think his upside is tremendous. I think you saw flashes of that (against Team Canada). That's why we're so excited about him and some of the things he's been doing. He's got great length. His skill set is really good. He's just scratching the surface, which is awesome."
Scratching will include gaining weight, strength and physicality.
"I take what they give me -- protein shakes, food, all of that," Manhertz says. "It's helped."
So has Manhertz's coaching receptiveness.
"The coaches have been very helpful," he says. "They tell me to shoot; they tell me when I make a good play, and when I make a bad play; they tell me to do it again and make the right read out of it. They're encouraging me to always do the right things. That always helps."
Asked to describe his game, and Manhertz says, "I'm a shot maker. My ability to make the right play on the offensive side is really good. So is my passing. On defense, it's my off-ball defense."
Through it all, Manhertz works to adapt to college conditioning and physicality.
"That was expected," he says.
When it comes to advice and leadership, Manhertz looks to second-year forward Trent Sisley (the only returning Hoosier player) and fourth-year point guard Markus Burton (the heralded Notre Dame transfer).
"When I was here before we started working out (as a team), if I did something wrong, Trent would let me know. We built a good connection. We're in the same position group and he's always helping me do the right things. I just follow him."
Manhertz says he rooms with fellow first-year players Prince-Alexander Moody and Vaughn Karvala.
"We go out to dinner every night. It's been fun. Prince is an all-around player. So is Vaughn. We complement each other well."
The overall summer goal was to build chemistry. Manhertz says it's "gone really well."
"We've gotten a lot of good connections."
Manhertz comes from an athletic family. His father, Joe, played basketball for Colgate and is now senior associate athletic director for development at VCU. His mother, Alexis, played volleyball for Georgia Southern and works at Duke.
A year ago, Manhertz was considered a mid-major prospect drawing interest from schools such as UNC Asheville, Charlotte, Boston, and Northeastern. A strong summer showing and an impressive high school season in Cary, North Carolina (averaging 18.8 points while shooting 42 percent on 3-pointers) had recruiting services elevate him to top-35 national status in the class of 2027. Major college programs began calling. He decided to switch to the Class of 2026.
Manhertz says IU assistant coach Rod Clark was instrumental in his choosing the Hoosiers over programs such as Duke and Louisville. He signed in April.
"Coach Clark didn't just recruit me as an athlete and a player, but as a person," Manhertz says. "All the coaches believed in me. They saw my potential."
That included DeVries.
"You can tell he's very invested in the team," Manhertz says. "He wants us to be good. He makes sure we do everything right and don't cut corners. That's been very beneficial."
As for his role this season, Manhertz says, "I want to contribute any way I can and help us win games."
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