J.J. Mann (198-SF-1991, college: Belmont) is a 32 year old 198cm forward that was born in East point Georgia and grew up in Chatham, Virginia. He is playing his 10th professional season and fifth in Germany and first with the Romerstrom Gladiators Trier. He played at the Hargrove Military academy and then played at Belmont (NCAA) from 2010-2014 playing a total of 140 NCAA games and as a senior averaged 18.3ppg, 4.8rpg, 2.6apg, 2.1spg, FGP: 46.0%, 3PT: 39%, FT: 87.1%. He turned professional in 2014 and played his rookie season in Austria. He also played in countries like Belgium, Kosovo, Denmark, and Mexico. In Germany he played 2 seasons with Phoenix Hagen and 2 seasons with the Bayer Giants Leverkusen. He spoke to germanhoops.com about basketball.

Thanks JJ for talking tom germanhoops.com. Your playing your 10th professional season and fifth in Germany. One could say that Germany has become like a second home for you. Did you ever get around the German carnival season in Hagen and Leverkusen or was that something you enjoyed being a part of of?

Yes, Germany has become a little bit of a 2nd home for the Mann family! The best carnival season we ever had was actually when we were in Aalst, Belgium. The city was known for carnival and had a big parade and everything. But we did not get too much into it in Hagen or Leverkusen.

Since the 2017 season you have been around 40% from downtown and showing you aren´t slowing down any at least as a shooter. Shooting has always been a big staple in your game. Do you feel like you have to work on that part of your game more as you get older or how do you explain the consistent curve in your shooting percentage from outside?

Shooting has for sure been a big aspect of my game. I have always heard that if you can shoot, then someone will play you and the 40% mark is a solid standard to strive for. I would say the consistent curve has to do with hard work and consistency over the years. You hear it all the time because it is true, but repetition is a big factor in having a good jump shot so I make sure to get my reps in!

How much fun has it been playing for the Romerstrom Gladiators this season? It is no secret that it has been tough for ex BBL teams to move back after moving to the Pro A, but this could be the season for Trier. What really stands out with this team that isn´t present in other teams?

It has been a blast playing for Trier this year! We have a great group of guys on and off the court and it’s a really fun group to be around and to compete with! We have a very good mixture of experience and youth but we have all come together with one mission and that’s to win! I think what stands out to me is the competitive nature of our team and good things happen when you compete!

You have played with hundreds of incredible players in your long career, but where does a guy like Maik Zirbes rank? He has won 14 titles. What do you enjoy most about his game?

Big Maik is awesome! He has become one of my daughter’s favorite players! He is for sure up there near the top of great teammates and locker room guys! He has seen it all and done it all and he is always willing to lend a helping hand. I enjoy the physicality he brings and all the space he takes up to open things up for everyone!

Last season you played with Phoenix Hagen? (Germany-ProA) averaging 15.8ppg,?3.9rpg,?2.8apg,?1.5spg, FGP: 47.6%, 3PT: 42.7%, FT: 88.5%. What was it like returning back to Hagen 7 years after you came back? As a guy who has always been an incredible three point shooter, how do you feel were you then after many years a different and better player than your first tour of duty in Hagen?

It was so awesome coming back to Hagen. It is where my wife and I spent our first year of marriage and we had our third daughter there so Hagen will always have a special place in our hearts! It was great returning back to Hagen with a family this time. Everyone was very welcoming and helpful and now I know where all the playgrounds are in Hagen! I am a player who loves to play to the crowd and Hagen is a great place to do that. I was relatively the same type of player but just had more experience and confidence after so many years playing!

You played 2 seasons with the Bayer Giants Leverkusen? (Germany-ProA) averaging 15.4ppg,?3.9rpg,?1.8apg, Steals-2 (2.2spg), FGP: 63.8%, 3PT: 39.2%, FT: 87.9% and 12.8ppg,?3.6rpg,?1.8apg,?1.7spg, FGP: 46.6%, 3PT: 40.3%, FT: 85.9%. How do you look back at these 2 years.

My first year in Leverkusen we won the championship! The 2nd year we lost to a very good Tubingen team in the semi-finals so on the court was a great run in Leverkusen! And off the court was amazing as well. Our second daughter was born in Leverkusen and there were some great people there. So I look back with nothing but smiles from Leverkusen!

You played 2 seasons for Hansi Gnad,the 1993 German Eurochampion. How do you remember your day to day time with him? He has made solid strides as a coach, but still hasn´t been able to bring Leverkusen back to the BBL. What did you value most from his coaching?

Hansi is great! He is a family man which I really appreciate and always had a great perspective about the games. Technically he did get Leverkusen back to the BBL but unfortunately the infrastructure wasn´t set up for it so hopefully it will happen for them in the future! I really valued his perspective and the respect he demanded since you knew he had done it himself before and on the big stage as you mentioned him being the Eurochampion!

You played a season with Crelan?Okapi Aalstar (Belgium-Euromillions League) averaging?8.1ppg,?2.8rpg,?1.6apg, Steals-4 (1.7spg), FGP: 57.7%, 3PT: 42.0%, FT: 77.8%. You played Fiba Europe Cup for the second time in your career. What did you take with you from the then Euromillions league. A solid league but not at the same level as the easyCredit BBL?

The Euromillions league was great. Very solid and competitive league. On any given year, it can fluctuate on how good it is but overall, the BBL is for sure a better league.

You also played a season in Portugal with Imortal BC Albufeira? (Portugal-LPB) averaging?6.7ppg,?1.8rpg,?1.5apg,?1.0spg, FGP: 30.4%, 3PT: 42.1%, FT: 50.0%. This was a very shortened season as you came aboard in March. How tough was this season? Did the right situation just not come around earlier?

This was a very tough season for me! Everyone has a story and journey, and this season was part of mine! But it sure was a beautiful place to live! I technically had retired from basketball, so this was part of my comeback, and it just was not a good fit basketball wise.

In the 2017-2018 season you split time with Sigal Prishtina? (Kosovo-SuperLeague) and with Team FOG Naestved? (Denmark-Ligaen) averaging 11.1ppg,?4.4rpg,?1.4apg, FGP: 45.9%, 3PT: 39.8%, FT: 80.0%. Kosovo was a short stay while in Denmark you were for a longer time. What stayed with you from the Kosovo culture and what could you take with you from your Denmark stay?

Kosovo was quite an adventure! My wife and I actually had a really nice time there but it was a short stay! And then we landed in Denmark which also was a good experience. It´s always tough coming to a team in the middle of the season but it turned out to be a good situation. I took some nice memories and relationships from our stay in Denmark!

In 2016-2017 you had your first tour of duty with Belfius Mons-Hainaut? (Belgium-Euromillions League) averaging?11.2ppg,?5.6rpg,?1.0apg, FGP: 45.3%, 3PT: 34.8%, FT: 83.1%; and in the FIBA Europe Cup averaged 12.0ppg,?2.5rpg,?1.5spg. There you played with the team identity figure Justin Cage who would play 13 seasons with the club. What memories do you have of the daily battles with him in practice and what kind of an effect did he have on you?

Justin Cage is one of my all time favorites! He is one of the greatest defenders I have ever seen. He had such great instincts and anticipation and the athleticism to go with it that it was fun to watch! I´m glad he was on my team! He had a wife and kid at the time so it was cool to see him navigate that and I could see what it would look like for me when it was my time!

In the 2015-2016 season you had your first tour of duty with ?Phoenix Hagen? (Germany-BBL) averaging?11.3ppg,?3.5rpg,?1.1apg, FGP: 49.7%, 3PT: 38.2%, FT: 91.3%. You were teammates with ultra veterans David Bell and Adam Hess. What more can one say about these 2 unique players and characters. How vital were these players for you in the early part of your career? I´m sure Hess´s all around smart game rubbed off on you?

Ultra veterans is a great way to put it! Both of those guys were very important in my development on and off the court. They for sure have played a part in me being able to have a longer career. Adam was my roommate on road trips so we talked about everything! He’s the one who taught me to just run to the corner and shoot it! DB taught me more than he will ever know, and I still reach out to him for advice!

You played your rookie season with ?the Redwell Gunners Oberwart? (Austria-A Bundesliga) averaging 13.4ppg,?4.5rpg,?1.2apg, Steals-1 (2.0spg), FGP: 46.6%, 3PT: 40.7%, FT: 82.1%. What do you remember being your wake up call to being overseas where you knew that you were far away from home?

Oberwart was a fun time! I had some great teammates on that team! There were a few wake up calls as there are for every rookie. Luckily I had traveled overseas before so it wasn´t a complete culture shock but the different style of working out and warming up on the court sure was new and then figuring out the grocery stores was new for sure!

You played at Belmont University (NCAA) from 2010-2014 playing a total of 140 NCAA titles reaching the NCAA tournament three times losing to Wisconsin and Georgetown and Arizona. Which run did you enjoy most?

That´s a great question! I would have to say the first run where we played Wisconsin. Getting to play in the tournament is everyone’s dream come true so to get to experience that my freshman year was special! And the last year we played Arizona was special because of the wild conference championship game.

You were able to improve your scoring each season and went more from a role player to a main figure in your senior year. What kind of player were you in 2010 and what kind of player were you when you left in 2014?

Many mid-major programs rely heavily on their upper classmen and Belmont was no different. So having more of a roll for sure helped with the increased scoring but also just being more familiar with the game and the system and knowing my spots where I could score. I was actually a little more mid range guy when I got to college but Belmont was all about the 3 ball so I became more of a 3 point shooter the longer I was there!

In your senior year you hit the winner against North Carolina (NCAA) with 28 points and was the best player with James McAdoo on the court and held your own against many future NBA players. What does this game mean to you? Was this one of your most memorable games in your career?

That was such a cool game! Growing up an ACC fan, UNC was obviously the top tier of that and pretty much for all of college basketball so to get to play there was pretty surreal! And pretending to hit game winners in that gym in my driveway growing up and then in the gym when I knew they were on the schedule to actually doing it was pretty cool to say the least! It’s for sure up there for one of the most memorable!

How did head coach Rick Byrd groom and prepare you best for a professional career?

Coach Byrd is in the Hall of Fame for a reason! His system and X’s and O’s are elite! I still try to implement them as much as I can at the professional level when I get the chance! But his character is what stood out to me and stands out to me to this day and that is what has helped me more than anything!

Who won a 1-1 in practice you or Evan Bradds?

Mr Bradds was awesome and had an amazing playing career and might still be playing if he hadn’t of gotten hurt! He is doing great things in the coaching world now but none of that changes who would win the one on one battles! I had his number!

You played at Hargrove Military academy. How vital was this early grooming? Would you have become as disciplined as a player without having had this experience?

Hargrave was quite the experience! It is one of those experiences that everyone says will benefit you down the road but not what you are trying to do at 17-18 years old. However, it absolutely helped me grow as a person and player and got me the opportunity to play at Belmont so it was great! And we did have to go through some military things so it for sure helped with discipline!

You were teammates with Lorenzo Brown now a top Euroleague player. Does a guy´s career like his surprise you? Was he already that talented there or did he mature more as his career went on?

Lorenzo and I actually go all the way back to middle school. He has been talented for a long time! People used to say he wasn´t trying but he was just so smooth and the game came so easily to him that he just made it look easy! He sure was fun to play with! I am not surprised at all with his career!

Who was the toughest player that you ever played against on a court that reached the NBA?

Ben McLemore. I never saw his college highlights but wouldn’t be surprised if I was in a few of them!

Please name your 5 best teammates of all-time?

There have been so many good ones!

Grayson Murphy, Dennis Heinzmann, Marko Bacak, Kyle Castlin, and Senne Guekens

Please name your personal NBA Mount Rushmore of past or present heads?

I need to do more in depth research on the “past heads” so I’ll stay more present.

Steph Curry, Lebron James, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant

Who is your GOAT?

This a fun topic! Lebron and MJ is a fun debate for sure but a lot of variables! But I am taking MJ in a must win game!

Did you see the sequel to the classic Coming to America? Shouldn´t they have left it alone?

I did not see it but based on the comments from your other interviews it sounds like they should have left it alone!

Thanks JJ for the chat.