As NBA season tips, Sandro Mamukelashvili proud to rep Seton Hall
Sandro Mamukelashvili doesn’t forget where he came from. Whether he’s representing his home country of Georgia at the European Basketball Championship or riding the officials from his courtside seat at a Seton Hall road game, his loyalty to his roots is clear.
As the curtain goes up on the NBA’s 2022-23 season, Mamukelashvili is entering his second campaign on a two-way contract with the Milwaukee Bucks, who debut Thursday at the Philadelphia 76ers. Although his contract stipulates that he splits time between the Bucks and their G League affiliate (the Wisconsin Herd), at this moment he is the lone Pirate alum playing in the NBA.
“Knowing that and knowing that other guys are looking to me, I never take it for granted,” the 23-year-old said via phone Monday. “I always feel like I’m blessed. I try to show that we (Seton Hall) make good pros -- we make guys who listen and who want to be better. I know how much the program did for me, so I’m going to rep them as best as I possibly can.”
He’s doing that well.
A dynamic summer
After making the Bucks as a late second-round draft pick in 2021, the 6-foot-11 forward/center appeared in 41 games for the defending champions, averaging 3.8 points and 2.0 rebounds while shooting 49 percent from the field, .423 from 3-point range and .818 from the free-throw line. When the season ended he launched into a rigorous and productive offseason.
“Overall rookie year went great, but there is so much I can do to get better,” Mamukelashvili said. “I was in the gym three times a day trying to establish myself.”
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In the NBA Summer League he averaged 17.0 points, 8.8 boards, 2.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.0 blocks over five contests, earning first-team all-league honors.
“When summer league came, I knew how important it was,” he said. “As a guy on a two-way contract you’re borderline -- you can stay, you can be out, nothing is guaranteed. You’ve got to have this confidence where you come out and show everybody that you belong.”
Then he represented Georgia with distinction in the so-called EuroBasket, averaging 15.2 points, 11 rebounds and 2.4 assists. All five group-phase games took place in Georgia, where he received a raucous reception.
“I had my whole family there, all my friends; I never had this feeling where there are 10,000 people waiting for you --you are the main guy there,” he said. “That blew my mind. Seeing my family and friends and my country out there showing you so much love, I felt it on the court.”
'Mature and ready'
This journey to the cusp of stardom is a long way from Mamukelashvili’s arrival at the Hall as an unknown three-star recruit.
“One thing Seton Hall doesn’t get a lot of credit for his how good their developing system is,” he said. “Coming in as a freshman and leaving as a senior I was a completely different guy on and off the court. Whatever the older guys taught, whatever (coaches) Kevin Willard and Grant Billmeier, taught, I listened.”
He steadily improved from seldom-used freshman to role-playing sophomore to second option as a junior to a share of Big East Player of the Year as a senior.
“What elevates you is being mature and ready and not making common mistakes,” he said. “That’s what Coach Willard and Coach Billmeier tried to teach us.”
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That maturity paid off with the Bucks, where Mamukelashvili immediately garnered the respect of his teammates and coaches. It takes immense skill to earn a place in the league, of course, and Mamukelashvili’s versatility for his size fits well into today’s game, but attitude plays a key role in who earns spots at the end of a roster. Mamu’s attitude won everyone over.
“The older guys on the team took me under my wing every step of the way and had my back, showed me how to be a better professional,” he said.
The Bucks’ resident superstar, Giannis Antetokounmpo, has taken a particular liking to him.
“Giannis is my mentor, a great guy to be around, very humble,” he said. “A guy like me, you want to be listening. You are behind the best player in the world. Looking at him and how he approaches practices and games, how he doesn’t take plays off, that helps me.”
Guarding Giannis in practice also helps.
“You look like you completely suck, but then you go against other people and you are like ‘OK, I can do this,’” Mamu said. “You try to be as tough as possible against Giannis and don’t bite for stuff, and when you play other guys it’s different -- you feel like you are so much more prepared.”
Tracking the Hall
Busy as he was last spring, Mamukelashvili kept an eye on the changes at his alma mater. He’ll be pulling for Willard and Billmeier in their new jobs at Maryland.
“I love them deeply, but if Seton Hall ever plays Maryland I’m going with Seton Hall of course,” he said.
And he’s excited to see how the Pirates fare under Shaheen Holloway, who was an assistant there during his freshman year.
“I know Sha is very energetic, very straightforward,” he said. “He doesn’t sugarcoat stuff, which to me is the best thing.”
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Mamukelashvili will try to get to a game this season. Last year he attended the infamous loss at Marquette, where a late-game elbow to the face ended dynamic guard Bryce Aiken’s season. Aiken was whistled for a game-deciding foul and Mamukelashvili let the refs have it.
“They got mad at me,” he said of the officials. “That foul call on Bryce Aiken was stupid.”
He would love to make a game at the Prudential Center, where he’d receive a much-deserved standing ovation – something he was denied during his crowd-less senior year. He also would like to drop by a practice and deliver a message to fellow under-the-radar players with over-the-moon dreams.
“Everybody’s path is different,” he said. “It might not start out like you want, but hard work always shows. Keep grinding.”
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Sandro Mamukelashvili represents Seton Hall with Milwaukee Bucks