Johnny Neumann
![]() Neumann, in 1974. | |
Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | Memphis, Tennessee,U.S. | September 11, 1951
Died | April 23, 2019 Oxford, Mississippi,U.S. | (aged 68)
Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Overton(Memphis, Tennessee) |
College | Ole Miss(1970–1971) |
NBA draft | 1973:6th round, 98th overall pick |
Selected by theChicago Bulls | |
Playing career | 1971–1982 |
Position | Small forward/shooting guard |
Number | 14, 22, 44, 4, 31, 21 |
Coaching career | 1982–2017 |
Career history | |
As player: | |
1971–1974 | Memphis Pros / Tams |
1974 | Utah Stars |
1974 | Virginia Squires |
1974–1975 | Indiana Pacers |
1975 | Virginia Squires |
1975–1976 | Kentucky Colonels |
1976 | Buffalo Braves |
1976–1977 | Los Angeles Lakers |
1977 | Indiana Pacers |
1978–1979 | Gabetti Cantù |
1980–1982 | Saturn Köln |
As coach: | |
1982–1984 | Maine Lumberjacks/Bay State Bombardiers |
1986–1987 | RBC Pepinster |
1987–1989 | PAOK Thessaloniki |
1989–1990 | Pagrati Athens |
1991–1992 | Louisville Shooters |
1992–1993 | Iraklis Thessaloniki |
1993–1994 | Pezoporikos |
1994–1995 | AEK Larnaca |
1997–1998 | APOEL |
1998 | Hapoel Tel Aviv |
1999–2000 | Youngstown Hawks |
2000 | Kazma Sport Club |
2001–2002 | Lebanon |
2003–2004 | Al-Hilal Riyadh |
2005 | Al Ittihad |
2006–2007 | Zhejiang Lions |
2007–2009 | Rizing Fukuoka |
2009–2010 | Takamatsu Five Arrows |
2010–2012 | Romania |
2016–2017 | South Panola HS(assistant) |
Career highlights and awards | |
As player:
As head coach:
| |
Career ABA and NBA statistics | |
Points | 6,022 (13.2 ppg) |
Rebounds | 1,234 (2.7 rpg) |
Assists | 1,345 (3.0 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com | |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Carl John Neumann(September 11, 1951 – April 23, 2019), nicknamed"Johnny Reb",was an American professionalbasketballplayer andcoach.At 6'6 "and 200 pounds, he played at theshooting guardandsmall forwardpositions.
High school and college
[edit]Following a standout career atOverton High Schoolin Memphis, Neumann took his game to theUniversity of Mississippi,where he played from 1969 to 1971. During hissophomoreseason, he drew comparisons toPete Maravich,after averaging an NCAA-high of 40.1points per game.[1]His strongest performances included a 63-point game againstLouisiana State Universityand a 60-point game againstBaylor University.[2]Neumann earnedAll-AmericaandSEC Player of the Yearhonors at the end of the season.
Johnny Neumann returned to Ole Miss and completed his undergraduate degree, in 2016.[3]After earning his degree, he returned to coaching. He was named to the 2016 SEC Legends class. Neumann continues to hold the Ole Miss single-season scoring record of 923 points.
Professional career
[edit]Memphis Pros and Memphis Tams
[edit]After his sophomore season at Ole Miss, Neumann became the first player in basketball history to sign a hardship clause[4]as he signed a five-year, $2 million contract with theMemphis Prosof theAmerican Basketball Association.[5] Neumann was later drafted by theChicago Bulls,in the 6th round of the1973 NBA draft.[6]
Neumann's professional career started strong, with averages of 18.3 points per game and 19.6 points per game in his first two full seasons with Memphis. He was named to theABA All-Rookie Teamin 1972.[7]However, Neumann gradually fell out of favor with the team's head coach and management, who thought he was not passing the ball enough, and he was traded by theMemphis Tamsto theUtah Stars,in exchange forGlen Combs,Ronnie Robinson,Mike Jacksonand cash, in January 1974.
Utah Stars
[edit]In Neumann's first year with theUtah Stars,his team won the ABA Western Division and defeated theSan Diego Conquistadors,in theWestern Division Semifinalsand theIndiana Pacersin the Western Division Finals, to make it to the ABA Championship series, where they lost the1974 ABA Finalsto theNew York Nets.Despite the team's success, Neumann struggled to regain his scoring average after being traded to Utah. He averaged just 10.1 points per game, in 44 games played with the Stars.
Virginia Squires and Indiana Pacers
[edit]In August 1974 the Stars traded Neumann and a draft choice, to theVirginia Squires,in exchange forJim EakinsandLarry Miller.After just four games with the Squires, theIndiana Pacersbought Neumann's rights from the Squires, in November 1974. He averaged 8.3 points per game with Indiana.[6]Neumann finished out the 1974–75 season as a Pacer, and in March 1975, the Virginia Squires bought Neumann's rights back from the Pacers.[8]
Neumann averaged 16.6 points per game for Virginia during the 1975–76 season, but in January 1976, he was traded by the Squires.[6]
Kentucky Colonels
[edit]In January 1976, Neumann was traded along withJan van Breda Kolff,to theKentucky Colonels,in exchange forMarv Roberts.He averaged 10.1 points per game as the Colonels defeated the Indiana Pacers in the ABA Quarterfinals and lost a 4–3 seven-game series to theDenver Nuggets,in the1976 ABA Semifinals.
NBA
[edit]After theABA–NBA mergertook place in June 1976, Neumann ended up with theBuffalo Braves.From 1976 to 1978, Neumann played 83 games in theNBA,as a member of the Braves,Los Angeles Lakers,and once again with the Pacers. His 1977–78 campaign with the Pacers, during which he averaged just 4.2 points per game, would be his last in the United States.
Europe
[edit]After leaving the NBA, Neumann took his game to Europe, where he competed in theItalian A LeaguewithGabetti Cantù,in the 1978–79 season,[9]and in theGerman Federal League,withSaturn Köln,from 1980 to 1982.[10][11]
Coaching career
[edit]Neumann became anassistant coachwhile playing in Germany, a position that would prove to be his first of many basketball coaching jobs. Neumann also coached in Belgium, Greece, Cyprus, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, China, and Japan, as well as in the American minor-leagueContinental Basketball Associationwith theMaine Lumberjacks.[12]Neumann also coached theLouisville Shootersof theGlobal Basketball Association,in 1991 and 1992. While in Cyprus, he discoveredDarrell Armstrong,a little-known Americanpoint guardfromFayetteville State University,who later found success in theNBA.[13]
On June 23, 2010, Neumann was appointed as the new head coach of theRomanian national team.After graduation from Ole Miss with a bachelor's degree in general studies, he hoped to obtain a position as a professional sports analyst and broadcaster, but those opportunities did not materialize. In an attempt to reenter coaching while waiting for the next professional opportunity, he served as an assistant coach atSouth Panola High School,inBatesville, Mississippi.[14]
Death
[edit]Neumann had suffered from several health issues for many years. By 2018, Johnny's health had declined significantly and it was discovered he had developed a brain tumor. In spite of surgery, Neumann died inOxford, Mississippi,on April 23, 2019, after struggling against brain cancer. His ashes were deposited in an undisclosed location, but close to some of his most significant basketball achievements.[15]
Head coaching record
[edit]Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rizing Fukuoka | 2007–08 | 44 | 20 | 24 | .455 | 3rd in Western | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost in playoff semifinals |
Rizing Fukuoka | 2008–09 | 52 | 22 | 30 | .423 | 4th in Western | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | Lost in 1st round |
Takamatsu Five Arrows | 2009–10 | 52 | 13 | 39 | .250 | 7th in Western | - | - | - | – | - |
See also
[edit]- List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 60 or more points in a game
- List of NCAA Division I men's basketball season scoring leaders
References
[edit]- ^http://www.thelocalvoice.net/TLV-pages/athletics/TLV22-johnnyneumann.html[permanent dead link]
- ^"High scorers".Archived fromthe originalon June 23, 2007.RetrievedMay 9,2007.
- ^Documentary on former hoop star Neumann's life provides a cautionary tale.
- ^NBA Official Site, "Where Are They Now? Johnny Neumann article
- ^http://www.remembertheaba.com/MemphisMaterial/BuccaneersMemphisYearly.htmlArchivedFebruary 10, 2007, at theWayback Machine
- ^abcBasketball-Reference.com Johnny Neumann page
- ^RememberTheABA.com Memphis Pros Detailed Year to Year Notes PageArchivedMay 8, 2009, at theWayback Machine
- ^RememberTheABA.com Indiana Pacers Detailed Year to Year Notes Page
- ^"John Neumann".Archived fromthe originalon May 29, 2011.RetrievedSeptember 27,2008.
- ^http://www.remembertheaba.com/Memphis-Tams.htmlArchivedNovember 2, 2015, at theWayback Machine
- ^"Johnny Neumann Stats".
- ^His playbook has an atlas.Retrieved on August 12, 2008.
- ^"Where Are They Now? Johnny Neumann".NBA.com.
- ^Johnny Neumann dead at 68.
- ^Cobb, David (April 23, 2019)."Local basketball legend, former Ole Miss star Johnny Neumann dies at 68".The Commercial Appeal.RetrievedApril 24,2019.
External links
[edit]- Italian League ProfileArchived2021-10-12 at theWayback Machine(in Italian)
- 1951 births
- 2019 deaths
- AEK Larnaca B.C. coaches
- Al-Hilal basketball coaches
- Al-Ittihad Jeddah basketball coaches
- All-American college men's basketball players
- American people of German descent
- American expatriate basketball people in Belgium
- American expatriate basketball people in China
- American expatriate basketball people in Cyprus
- American expatriate basketball people in Germany
- American expatriate basketball people in Greece
- American expatriate basketball people in Israel
- American expatriate basketball people in Italy
- American expatriate basketball people in Japan
- American expatriate basketball people in Kuwait
- American expatriate basketball people in Lebanon
- American expatriate basketball people in Romania
- American expatriate basketball people in Saudi Arabia
- American men's basketball coaches
- American men's basketball players
- APOEL B.C. coaches
- Basketball coaches from Tennessee
- Basketball players from Memphis, Tennessee
- BSC Saturn Köln players
- Buffalo Braves players
- Chicago Bulls draft picks
- Continental Basketball Association coaches
- Hapoel Tel Aviv B.C. coaches
- Indiana Pacers players
- Iraklis Thessaloniki B.C. coaches
- Kagawa Five Arrows coaches
- Kentucky Colonels players
- Los Angeles Lakers players
- Memphis Pros players
- Memphis Tams players
- Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball players
- Pagrati B.C. coaches
- Pallacanestro Cantù players
- P.A.O.K. BC coaches
- Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
- RBC Verviers-Pepinster coaches
- Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka coaches
- Shooting guards
- Small forwards
- Utah Stars players
- Virginia Squires players
- Zhejiang Lions coaches