Cornell transfer Chris Manon commits to Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt just keeps rolling on the recruiting trail.

Cornell guard Chris Manon has committed to Vanderbilt with one year of eligibility remaining.

Manon averaged 12.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in 2023-24 while playing 22.2 minutes per game.

2023-24 was the 6-foot-5 guard's second of three seasons in which he averaged double figures, the Cornell wing also averaged 9.9 points per game in his freshman season.

Manon was a unanimous All-Ivy League selection in his final season and was a two-time All-Ivy League Tournament team selection.

The Cornell transfer started 58 of the 83 its games throughout his three season. That included 28 Cornell's 29 games in 2023-24.

Manon is Vanderbilt's seventh transfer portal commit. He'll join a class that already includes James Madison transfer Jaylen Carey, Virginia Tech transfers Tyler Nickel and MJ Collins, Davidson transfer Grant Huffman, North Texas transfer Jason Edwards as well as Boston College transfer Devin McGlockton.

Breaking down Manon's game:

The stats don't exactly tell the full story of how effective Manon was in 2023-24.

Cornell's fast-paced operation with a tremendous amount of subbing limited the 6-foot-5 guard to just 22.2 minutes per game which had an effect on his stats.

In those minutes, the Cornell transfer took the reigns as its leading scorer and its second most efficient player among high-volume options.

Manon is particularly effective around the rim, where he attempts 63% of his field goals and makes them at a 69% rate. The Cornell transfer is a strong, athletic finisher that got to his spots around the rim consistently in the Ivy League with a patented spin move, nice handling ability, some post ups and flashes of tremendous cutting ability.

The 6-foot-5 transfer will likely have a harder time getting to his spots and finishing in the SEC, particularly as a result of reliance on his right hand at times, that is evidenced in him averaging just 9.5 points per game against power five competition in 2023-24 and shooting just 34.7% from the field in those two games.

Those results were largely skewed by a 2-for-11, 7-point performance against Syracuse. Manon was better against Baylor, where he shot 6-for-12 from the field.

The results in Manon's sophomore season were similar as he averaged 11 points per game against three ACC schools.

Manon was a 63.1% shooter from inside the arc in 2023-24, which was good for 94th in the country. That was largely a result of his efficient, composed interior game and capability in the midrange.

The Cornell transfer is also a capable shotmaker from the perimeter, where he was loosely guarded in most games but did shoot 33.8% on 2.8 attempts per game.

Perhaps the most underrated valuable piece of Manon's game comes with his passing ability. The New Milford, New Jersey, native averaged 3.0 assists per game this season with an 26% assist rate. That included a few flashy passes with some demonstration of an ability to make solid reads.

The hangup on Manon's passing comes in the turnover department, where he committed 2.1 per game.

Manon's rebounding also looks to be able to play at the SEC level as he averaged 4.0 per game this season and grabbed over one offensive board a night.

The Cornell transfer also projects to be a capable defender and a nice piece on that end as he moves up a level.

Manon gave up just 96.6 points per 100 possessions in 2023-24 and has the length, athleticism and lateral quickness to be able to be solid on that end in the SEC as long as he's engaged.

Projecting Manon as a superstar may not be wise, but it feels as if he's got enough translatable skills to be able to contribute for this Vanderbilt team.

Where Manon fits:

Manon will have a role in some form.

Whether that role is as a bench player that is used for his leadership, defense and physicality or a starter will depend on how his offensive skillset translates.

Manon will have to make more shots from the perimeter and will have to have his interior game translate in order to be the type of offensive threat that Vanderbilt may be expecting him to be.

In any case, it feels as if he's a good fit with Vanderbilt's transition-oriented offense as he's a 76th percentile transition player.

Manon will have a role and was another nice pickup for Vanderbilt.