Manuel Delgadillo Powers Wapato

2019 Wapato (Wash.) small forward Manuel Delgadillo is the go to player for one of the top ranked teams in the CWAC.

Right now his Wapato Wolves are 6-4, although they've pushed teams like Selah and Ephrata to their absolute brink.

Currently tied for second place in the CWAC, this team has a good of a chance as any to hoist the hardware in February.

"Our effort and our leadership makes me believe," Delgadillo said. "I think our team chemistry is what will put us over the top."

Delgadillo is coming off a junior campaign where he was featured as an All League Honorable Mention.

At the pace he's on right now (18.4 Points Per Game), there's high reason to believe he can catapult himself into that first or second team All League category.

Despite the high accolades he's projected to receive, that doesn't mean he's going to be able to do it all by himself.

Some of his standout teammates right now is electrifying point guard Lorenzo Alvarado, and senior playmaker Everette 'Boy' Howe.

"Those guys are hard workers," Delgadillo. "Alvarado is actually my cousin and we've been through a lot together."

During his middle school days, Delgadillo actually would play the center position, despite being only 6-2.

This is due to the fact that there wasn't a whole lot of size in the Wapato Basketball system, and so Delgadillo was assigned big man duties.

The skills he learned posting up and getting physical have actually benefited him tremendously as he transitioned to high school.

Very rarely does a freshman play varsity basketball. This is largely due to them not being physically and mentally tough enough to compete.

This was not the case for Delgadillo at all, as he was thrown into the fire only a few games into his freshman year.

Since then he hasn't looked back. He's turned into a three year starter and four year contributor.

Some of the strengths of his game is his ability to drive to the basket, while also finding his open teammates.

With the resume Delgadillo has accumulated so far, it wouldn't be far fetched to believe that he could make a splash at the collegiate level.

Believe it or not, Delgadillo could actually play a college sport other than basketball.

"I'm in love with track," Delgadillo said. "I think that's my main goal is to go to college for track."

For two straight years now Delgadillo has competed at the state level in two events; Triple jump and long jump.

He picked up the sport his freshman year, and it's something he's dedicated himself to.

The jumping events appear to be something Delgadillo is a natural at. Given his long legs and high vertical, the tangibles are there to be a high level track and field participant.

Of course he's not counting out basketball at all. It's the game he's spent the last decade of his life honing his skillset at.

"My coach and I have started to send out film," Delgadillo said. "Hopefully in the future we can talk to those coaches."

Whichever sport momentum takes him is likely where he's going to end up.

For now though he's focused on his number one goal, which is bringing a CWAC title to Wapato.

It's a highly experienced roster with seven seniors and three juniors. There's high optimism they can get the job done.

"This is a basketball based community, and I would love to bring a championship to Wapato," Delgadillo said.