Nicholas Mantis (December 7, 1935 – August 13, 2017) was an American-Greek professional basketball player.[1]
College career
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
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
Mantis died on August 13, 2017, at the age of 81.[4]
Career statistics
| 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 |
NBA
Source[1]
Regular season
| 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
- ^ a b c d “Nick Mantis NBA stats”. Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
- ^ “2012-13 Yearbook Chicago’s big ten team” (PDF). grfx.cstv.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 27, 2013.
- ^ Midwest Professional Basketball League History. Retrieved on February 7, 2016.
- ^ Hutton, Mike (August 14, 2017). “Nick Mantis, a man among boys in basketball at East Chicago Washington, dies”. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
External links