Nico Mannion

Niccolò "Nico" Mannion (born March 14, 2001) is an Italian-American college basketball player for the Arizona Wildcats of the Pac-12 Conference. He previously played for Pinnacle High School in Phoenix, Arizona, where he was a five-star recruit and one of the top point guards in the 2019 recruiting class. Although he mainly grew up in the United States, Mannion represents his birth country of Italy in international competitions.

Nico Mannion
Mannion in February 2020
No. 1 – Arizona Wildcats
PositionPoint guard
LeaguePac-12 Conference
Personal information
Born (2001-03-14) March 14, 2001
Siena, Italy
NationalityItalian / American
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High schoolPinnacle
(Phoenix, Arizona)
CollegeArizona (2019–2020)
Career highlights and awards

Early life

Nico was born in Siena, Italy, where he spent his early childhood before his family moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, and finally settled in Phoenix, Arizona.[1]

High school career

As a freshman, Mannion began playing basketball for Pinnacle High School in Phoenix, Arizona under head coach Charlie Wilde.[2] On February 9, 2017, he featured in a Sports Illustrated article, "A 15-Year-Old (Sorta-Maybe) Basketball Prodigy".[3] Mannion started in all 28 of his games, averaging 20.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 2.4 steals per game while leading Pinnacle to a 22–6 record.[4] He was named MaxPreps first team All-American and Arizona Republic Class 6A first team All-State.[5] Entering his sophomore season, Mannion was named to the USA Today All-USA Arizona preseason team. He missed his first four games with a broken left hand.[6][7] On February 28, 2018, Mannion scored 21 points in a 76–60 win over Mountain Pointe High School for the Class 6A state championship.[8] He finished the season averaging 23.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game, leading Pinnacle to a 24–7 record.[9] Mannion received MaxPreps Sophomore All-American third team and Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year distinction.[10]

He took online summer courses to be able to graduate in the following spring.[11] On December 1, Mannion scored 37 points, including the game-winning three-pointer, in an 82–80 victory over Shadow Mountain High School, who had won 73 straight games against Arizona opponents.[12][13] MaxPreps writer Jordan Divens said that Mannion's performance in the game "will go down in Arizona high school basketball lore."[12] Five days later, Mannion recorded 33 points and 12 assists in a nationally televised game against top recruit Jalen Green and San Joaquin Memorial High School at the Hoophall West Invitational.[14] On December 30, he scored 45 points in an 88–78 loss to Mater Dei High School at the Rancho Mirage Holiday Invitational National Division championship.[15] Mannion, on February 2, 2019, tallied 57 points, including the game-winning shot as time expired, to help defeat Chaparral High School.[16] On February 27, he led Pinnacle to a second Class 6A state title, posting 34 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in an 83–64 win over Chaparral High School.[17] By the end of the season, Mannion was averaging 30.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game.[18] He reclaimed the Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year award and was recognized as National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) Senior Athlete of the Year.[19][20] Mannion also earned USA Today All-USA second team and Naismith All-American third team honors.[18][21] In the spring, he played in the McDonald's All-American Game and Nike Hoop Summit.[22][23]

Recruiting

Mannion was considered the top player in the 2020 recruiting class by Scout.com, Rivals.com and ESPN. But he reclassified to the 2019 class. Mannion received his first college basketball offer from Cal State Northridge while in eighth grade.[24] In high school, he picked up offers from several major NCAA Division I programs, including Duke and Villanova.[25] Mannion was a consensus five-star recruit and the best recruit from Arizona in the 2019 class.[26][27] On September 14, 2018, he committed to Arizona over Marquette.[28]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Nico Mannion
PG		 Siena, Italy Pinnacle (AZ) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sep 14, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 96
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 14  247Sports: 8  ESPN: 9
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Arizona 2019 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  • "2019 Arizona Wildcats Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  • "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 5, 2019.

    College career

    Mannion earned preseason first-team All-Pac-12 Conference honors and was named to the preseason watch lists for the Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy.[29] In his second collegiate game for Arizona, on November 6, 2019, he recorded 23 points, nine assists and four rebounds in a 90–69 win over Illinois.[30] On November 28, Mannion posted 16 points and 11 assists and made a game-winning layup with four seconds left in a 93–91 victory over Pepperdine in the first round of the Wooden Legacy.[31] In a second round win over Penn, he scored a season-high 24 points. Mannion led his team to the Wooden Legacy title and was named tournament most valuable player (MVP) after averaging 16.3 points and 7.3 assists per game. In the following day, he earned Pac-12 freshman of the week accolades.[32] On February 29, 2020, Mannion had 19 points and six assists in a 69–64 loss to UCLA.[33] At the conclusion of the regular season, Mannion was named to the All-Pac-12 second team and the All-Freshman Team.[34] Mannion averaged 14.0 points and 5.3 assists per game as a freshman. Following the season, he declared for the 2020 NBA draft.[35]

    National team career

    Mannion holds dual citizenship to the United States and Italy; his father is American, while his mother is Italian.[4][36] In 2017, he joined training camp with the United States national under-16 team and was a finalist for its 2017 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship roster.[4][37] After not making the team, he was contacted by the Italian Basketball Federation and joined the Italian national under-16 team at the 2017 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship in Podgorica, Montenegro.[37][38] Mannion made his debut on August 11, 2017, recording 15 points and seven assists in a 64–59 loss to France.[39] Two days later, he posted 42 points, five rebounds, and six steals in 29 minutes in an 86–57 victory over Russia.[40] Through seven games, Mannion averaged a tournament-high 19.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 3.0 steals per game, leading Italy to a ninth-place finish.[41][42]

    He debuted for the senior Italian national team at European qualifiers for the 2019 FIBA World Cup.[43] In his sole appearance on July 1, 2018, Mannion scored nine points in 29 minutes in an 81–66 loss to the Netherlands, becoming the fourth-youngest player in team history at age 17.[38]

    Career statistics
    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

    College
    Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
    2019–20 Arizona 323232.3.392.327.7972.55.31.2.014.0

    Personal life

    Mannion is the son of an American father and an Italian mother. His father, Pace Mannion, is a former National Basketball Association (NBA) player who played for six different NBA teams through the 1980s.[44] He played professionally for various teams in Italy until his retirement in 2002.[45][46] Most notably, he helped Italian club Pallacanestro Cantù win the 1991 FIBA Korać Cup.[37] Mannion's mother, Gaia Bianchi, is a former volleyball player who played for the Italian national volleyball team.[47]

    gollark: ¥E§, except the ☭ bit.
    gollark: But they'll be convinced they were infolased, and that will mean they will experience infolasing effects.
    gollark: If people think "oh no an infolaser" and you "infolase" them, then they might feel infolasing effects.
    gollark: Joke's on you, the pencils CAN infolase people!
    gollark: Do you want me to infolase YOU with inability to know about infolasers?

    References
    1. Holmes, C. J. (January 16, 2020). "The Pace Mannion Influence: How Nico draws strength and wisdom from Dad". The Athletic. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
    2. "Recruiting Update: Nico Mannion (2020)". PrepHoops. June 12, 2016. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
    3. Ballard, Chris (February 9, 2017). "A 15-Year-Old (Sorta-Maybe) Basketball Prodigy". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
    4. "Nico Mannion". USA Basketball. June 4, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
    5. "2016-17 MaxPreps Boys Basketball Freshman All-American Team". MaxPreps. April 18, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
    6. Obert, Richard (November 22, 2017). "Top 50 Arizona high school boys basketball players mid-season rankings". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
    7. Obert, Richard (November 21, 2017). "American Family Insurance ALL-USA Arizona preseason boys basketball team 2017-18". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
    8. Obert, Richard (February 28, 2018). "Pinnacle boys basketball dominates Mountain Pointe for 6A title". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
    9. Divens, Jordan (April 17, 2018). "2017-18 MaxPreps Boys Basketball Sophomore All-American Team". MaxPreps. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
    10. "Nico Mannion 2017 - 2018 Arizona Boys Basketball Player of the Year". Gatorade. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
    11. West, Jenna (July 20, 2018). "Five-Star Recruit Nico Mannion Reclassifies From 2020 to 2019 Class". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
    12. Divens, Jordan (November 30, 2018). "Nico Mannion, Pinnacle knock off No. 13 Shadow Mountain to snap 73-game Arizona win streak". MaxPreps. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
    13. "Mannion's buzzer-beater lifts Pinnacle past Shadow Mountain". The Arizona Republic. November 30, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
    14. Obert, Richard (December 6, 2018). "Nico Mannion puts on a show against top-rated Jalen Green in Pinnacle rout". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
    15. John, Andrew L. (December 30, 2018). "Mater Dei overcomes Nico Mannion's 45 points to win Rancho Mirage Invitational title". The Desert Sun. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
    16. Pascoe, Bruce (February 2, 2019). "Arizona Wildcats signee Nico Mannion scores 57 in high school senior night game". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
    17. Kelapire, Ryan (February 26, 2019). "Nico Mannion, Pinnacle capture second straight 6A state championship". Arizona Desert Swarm. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
    18. Obert, Richard (April 8, 2019). "Pinnacle's Nico Mannion receives national basketball honor". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
    19. Potter, Mattie (April 8, 2019). "Arizona's Mannion named 2018-2019 Boys' Basketball Athlete of the Year". National High School Coaches Association. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
    20. Rosen, David (March 15, 2019). "Nico Mannion repeats as Gatorade Arizona Boys Basketball Player of the Year". Zona Zealots. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
    21. "2018-19 ALL-USA High School Boys Basketball: Second Team". USA Today High School Sports. April 2, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
    22. Kelapire, Ryan (March 27, 2019). "Josh Green, Nico Mannion score 8 points apiece in McDonald's All-American Game". Arizona Desert Swarm. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
    23. Obert, Richard (April 14, 2019). "People react to Arizona Wildcats-bound Nico Mannion putting on a show at Nike Hoop Summit". USA Today High School SPorts. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
    24. Bossi, Eric (June 4, 2017). "Sharp shooting 2020 PG Nico Mannion holds several offers". Rivals. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
    25. "Nico Mannion". ESPN. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
    26. "Nico Mannion, Pinnacle, Point Guard". 247Sports.com. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
    27. "Nico Mannion, 2019 Point guard". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
    28. Biancardi, Paul (September 14, 2018). "No. 2 PG recruit Nico Mannion chooses Arizona over Marquette". ESPN. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
    29. "Pac-12 unveils inaugural men's basketball preseason All-Conference teams". Pac-12 Conference. October 7, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
    30. Pascoe, Bruce (November 10, 2019). "Freshmen Nico Mannion, Josh Green lead Arizona past Illinois". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
    31. "Nico Mannion's last-second layup saves No. 14 Arizona against Pepperdine". Yahoo Sports. Associated Press. November 29, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
    32. "Martin, Mannion collect Pac-12 Men's Basketball weekly honors". Pac-12 Conference. December 2, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
    33. Pascoe, Bruce (March 1, 2020). "On Sean Miller's 'conversations' with officials at UCLA, Josh Green's absence and silver linings". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
    34. "Pac-12 announces 2019-20 Men's Basketball annual major awards". pac-12.com. March 9, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
    35. Smith, Keith (March 8, 2020). "Arizona's Nico Mannion to declare for 2020 NBA Draft". NBC Sports. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
    36. Costa, Dario (August 14, 2018). "Born ready - The Story of Nico Mannion". Sporting News. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
    37. "Not making USA team gives Mannion shot at U17 Basketball World Cup with Italy". FIBA. August 14, 2017. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
    38. "Italian teen phenom Nico Mannion leaves lasting impression on senior national team debut in World Cup Qualifiers". FIBA. July 4, 2018. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
    39. Gershon, Josh (August 12, 2017). "FIBA u16 A: Four-star PG Nico Mannion impresses with Italy". Scout.com. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
    40. "Manion scored 42 points in 29 minutes". EuroHoops. August 14, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
    41. "Nico Mannion Player Profile". RealGM. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
    42. Obert, Richard (August 28, 2017). "Nico Mannion narrows college choices to Arizona, Marquette". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
    43. Pascoe, Bruce (September 22, 2018). "He just wants to win: Future Wildcat Nico Mannion doesn't let anything get in his way". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
    44. "Pace Mannion Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
    45. Melloni, Mirco (August 14, 2017). "L'Italia ha il suo Mamba: la storia di Nico Mannion, fenomeno delle giovanili azzurre". La Stampa (in Italian). Retrieved April 30, 2019.
    46. Frangipani, Niccolò (August 11, 2018). "Astri Nascenti nel Basket: Nico Mannion, the italian stallion". Vita Sportiva. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
    47. Boivin, Paola (December 14, 2016). "Boivin: Pinnacle freshman Nico Mannion creating national buzz". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
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