Career
Mantis was selected in the 1959 National Basketball Association Draft by the Saint Louis Hawks after a collegiate career at Northwestern University. He played for the Hawks, Minneapolis Lakers, and Chicago Zephyrs during a two-year National Basketball Association career. Mantis also played in the American Basketball League in 1961-1962 and the Midwest Professional Basketball League, winning Most Valuable Player and first-team all-league honors in 1963-1964.
Mantis was a standout player at East Chicago Washington High, playing for Johnny Baratto.
He enjoyed a stellar collegiate career at Northwestern, where he led the Wildcats in field goal percentage as a senior. That season (1958-1959) 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. of Louisville-hosted "Bluegrass Festival Tournament." The Wildcats spent seven consecutive weeks in the Associated Press Poll and knocked off the Jerry West-led West Virginia Mountaineers.
