 Neumann, in 1974. | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1951-09-11)September 11, 1951 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | April 23, 2019(2019-04-23) (aged 68) Oxford, Mississippi, U.S. |
| 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 |
| Drafted by | Chicago Bulls |
| Playing career | 1971–1982 |
| Position | Small forward /shooting guard |
| Number | 14, 22, 44, 4, 31, 21 |
| Coaching career | 1982–2017 |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 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 |
Coaching | |
| 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 | |
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 atBasketball Reference | |
Carl John Neumann (September 11, 1951 – April 23, 2019), nicknamed"Johnny Reb", was an American professionalbasketball player andcoach. At 6'6" and 200 pounds, he played at theshooting guard andsmall forward positions.
Following a standout career atOverton High School in Memphis, Neumann took his game to theUniversity of Mississippi, where he played from 1969 to 1971. During hissophomore season, 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 University and a 60-point game againstBaylor University.[2] Neumann earnedAll-America andSEC Player of the Year honors 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.
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 Pros of 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 Team in 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 Tams to theUtah Stars, in exchange forGlen Combs, Ronnie Robinson,Mike Jackson and cash, in January 1974.
The exploits of Neumann were briefly detailed inTerry Pluto's bookLoose Balls, which had varuous players note his talent in scoring along with his immaturity that never quite ended in his playing days.[8]
In Neumann's first year with theUtah Stars, his team won the ABA Western Division and defeated theSan Diego Conquistadors, in theWestern Division Semifinals and theIndiana Pacers in the Western Division Finals, to make it to the ABA Championship series, where they lost the1974 ABA Finals to 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.
In August 1974 the Stars traded Neumann and a draft choice, to theVirginia Squires, in exchange forJim Eakins andLarry Miller. After just four games with the Squires, theIndiana Pacers bought 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.[9]
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]
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.
After theABA–NBA merger took 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.
After leaving the NBA, Neumann took his game to Europe, where he competed in theItalian A League withGabetti Cantù, in the 1978–79 season,[10] and in theGerman Federal League, withSaturn Köln, from 1980 to 1982.[11][12]
Neumann became anassistant coach while 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 Association with theMaine Lumberjacks.[13] Neumann also coached theLouisville Shooters of theGlobal Basketball Association, in 1991 and 1992. While in Cyprus, he discoveredDarrell Armstrong, a little-known Americanpoint guard fromFayetteville State University, who later found success in theNBA.[14]
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.[15]
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.[16]
| 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 | - | - | - | – | - |