Nicholas Mantis (December 7, 1935 – August 13, 2017) was an American-Greek professional basketball player.[1]

Nick Mantis
Personal information
Born(1935-12-07)December 7, 1935
East Chicago, Indiana
DiedAugust 13, 2017(2017-08-13) (aged 81)
Schererville, Indiana
NationalityAmerican / Greek
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High schoolWashington (East Chicago, Indiana)
CollegeNorthwestern (1956–1959)
NBA draft1959: 5th round, 37th overall pick
Selected by the St. Louis Hawks
Playing career1960–1964
PositionShooting guard
Number16, 11, 23
Career history
1960Minneapolis Lakers
1961–1962Kansas City Steers
1962St. Louis Hawks
1962–1963Chicago Zephyrs
1962–1964Grand Rapids Tackers
Career highlights and awards
  • MPBL MVP (1964)
  • All-ABL Second Team (1962)
Career NBA statistics
Points236
Rebounds91
Assists92
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference

College career

edit

After having a standout career as a high school player at East Chicago Washington High, while playing for head coach Johnny Baratto; Mantis enjoyed a stellar collegiate career at Northwestern, where he led the Wildcats in field goal percentage as a senior. That season (1958–59), he served as team captain, and led them to their best finish in the Big Ten - a tie for 2nd with an 8–6 conference record, 15–7 overall. The Wildcats won nine of their first ten games, dropping a stunner to #5 ranked North Carolina in the University of Louisville-hosted 'Bluegrass Festival Tournament.' The Wildcats spent seven consecutive weeks on the AP Poll, and knocked off the Jerry West-led West Virginia Mountaineers.[2]

Professional career

edit

Mantis was selected in the 1959 NBA draft, by the St. Louis Hawks, after a collegiate career at Northwestern University.[1] He played for the Hawks, Minneapolis Lakers, and Chicago Zephyrs, during a two-year NBA career.[1] Mantis also played in the American Basketball League in the 1961–62 season, and in the Midwest Professional Basketball League, earning league MVP and first-team all-league honors, in the 1963–64 season.[3]

Death

edit

Mantis died on August 13, 2017, at the age of 81.[4]

Career statistics

edit
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Source[1]

Regular season

edit
Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1959–60 Minneapolis 10 7.1 .256 .500 .6 .9 2.1
1962–63 St. Louis 9 6.4 .400 .333 .7 .8 2.1
1962–63 Chicago 33 19.0 .384 .600 2.4 2.3 5.9
Career 52 14.5 .367 .549 1.8 1.8 4.5

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d "Nick Mantis NBA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  2. ^ http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/nw/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/2012-13/misc_non_event/1213MBBYearbook.pdf Archived May 27, 2013, at the Wayback Machine [bare URL PDF]
  3. ^ Midwest Professional Basketball League History. Retrieved on February 7, 2016.
  4. ^ Hutton, Mike (August 14, 2017). "Nick Mantis, a man among boys in basketball at East Chicago Washington, dies". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
edit