Nick Mantis

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

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.

Mantis was selected in the 1959 NBA draft, by the St. Louis Hawks, after a collegiate career at Northwestern University. He played for the Hawks, Minneapolis Lakers, and Chicago Zephyrs, during a two-year NBA career. 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.

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

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