Robert Mantz had single-game totals of
47 and 44 points to highlight a three-year varsity
basketball career at Lafayette which saw him
become the college's fifth 1,000-point scorer.
Mantz scored 1,005 points and is generally
regarded as one of the best "big" men to ever
play for the Leopards.
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He averaged 19.2 points
as a senior to rank 42nd nationally, ahead of
future NBA stars Jerry West of West Virginia
and Dave Gambee of Oregon State. The top
three scorers in the country that season were
Oscar Robertson, Elgin Baylor and Wilt
Chamberlain. Mantz's 47-point effort came
against Wilkes in his final collegiate contest as
Lafayette eased to a 109-56 victory. One of the best
statements on behalf of Mantz's play is that in his
three varsity seasons Lafayette's record was a
combined 58-17 with two postseason appearances -
the NIT in 1956 and its first NCAA Tournament
invitation in 1957. Mantz was among a parade of
basketball stars that made their way to Easton from
the Reading, PA area in the 1950's.
