Bobcats sign CEGEP transfer Manikoglu

The Brandon University Bobcats lost two big pieces of their offence this year. They’re hoping Noah Manikoglu can help replace some of it.

The Montreal native has transferred to the Bobcats men’s basketball team for the 2026-27 Canada West season following three years at the CEGEP Division 1 level.

“This has been the goal for pretty much my whole career, being able to play university and push my potential as far as I can go,” Manikoglu said.

“It’s going to be great. It’s going to be a fun change, especially getting away from the Quebec league and seeing the rest of Canada.”

Manikoglu grew up playing for Pagé Basketball, where future teammate Pablo Carvajal played and two-time all-Canadian Bobcat Sultan Bhatti went to high school.

The six-foot-three guard got to see Bhatti train when he returned for a few summers.

That may have planted the seed about Brandon without Manikoglu realizing it. He visited a few schools, but went with his gut and committed to coach Gil Cheung without travelling to the Wheat City.

“The main thing was they were really showing that they really wanted me,” Manikoglu said.

“I’m not going to a school that I’m just going to ride the bench at. I want to be developed and they showed they wanted to help me grow and be a better player.

“Seeing Sully go there and do the things he did, that was another thing. He came from Pagé; he was an underdog. The fact that he had such a successful career and made a name for himself, that was a big part of it.”

Manikoglu’s Jean Abbott College struggled mightily in the CEGEP season, going 1-15. However, he still finished seventh in the league with 16.3 points per game and sixth with 2.3 steals per game.

“His team was rebuilding but his numbers and ability to be a key contributor every night were very impressive,” Cheung said. “He has the ability to play a few positions and we love his ability to create and shoot.

“He will take some time to adjust to BU and Canada West, but we are confident he can be very solid down the road.”

That matches up well with Manikoglu’s self-assessment. He has always been confident in his scoring ability and said the transition to CEGEP was big to help him adjust to the physicality of the game.

He said he has become more of a combo guard, rather than just a shooter. Given the way the Bobcats have played for the past few years, without a true point guard, that will help.

“I’ve been playing a lot of point guard and feel like my vision, being able to set up players and play the right way in the flow of the game has improved a lot,” he said.

“I’m more of a neutral defender. If I can get from neutral to a positive and make that a strength of my game, I feel like that can really help me go far.”

Manikoglu joins CEGEP transfers Yussef Jawad and Didou Sowadan in the recruit class, along with Roman Jensen of Chestermere, Alta., Neelin’s Sam Rempel and Israel’s Orie Zehavi.

The Bobcats open the regular season on Oct. 23 against the Winnipeg Wesmen.

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com