OVC Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

14. J. J. Mann

Mann is a 6’6 wing from Smyrna, Georgia who had an excellent playing career at Belmont. It’s a career that began way back in 2010 in the A-Sun and involved trips to the NCAA Tournament in his first three seasons. While Belmont would not return to the Big Dance in 2014, Mann had a really remarkable senior season on his own.

Taking a big step forward from his junior year, Mann averaged 18.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game for the Bruins while hitting 39% of his 3-pointers. He had a career-high 34 points against Eastern Kentucky, leading the Bruins to the top of the OVC East standings. After falling in the conference tournament, Mann led Belmont to a pair of wins in the NIT, dropping 20 points at Clemson in his final college game.

Following a season where he led his conference in steals and was one of the top scorers, Mann was named OVC Player of the Year. His numbers in that final season were significantly more impressive than his first three years, plus he led the Bruins to another regular season title in just their second season in the OVC. He was a fantastic piece for Rick Byrd’s program and really put everything together by the end of his time in Nashville.