Sandro Mamukelashvili

Alexander "Sandro" Mamukelashvili (Georgian: ალექსანდრე "სანდრო" მამუკელაშვილი; born May 23, 1999) is a Georgian-American college basketball player for the Seton Hall Pirates of the Big East Conference. He attended basketball powerhouse Montverde Academy after a stint on youth teams in Italy. As a junior at Seton Hall, Mamukelashvili missed several weeks with a wrist injury but averaged 11.9 points per game.

Sandro Mamukelashvili
Mamukelashvili in 2019
No. 23 – Seton Hall Pirates
PositionPower forward
LeagueBig East Conference
Personal information
Born (1999-05-23) May 23, 1999
New York City, New York
NationalityGeorgian / American
Listed height6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High schoolMontverde Academy
(Montverde, Florida)
CollegeSeton Hall (2017–present)

Early life and high school career

Mamukelashvili was born in New York City and grew up in Tbilisi, Georgia after moving to the country when he was a baby. His grandmother, Ira Gabashvili, was a captain on the Soviet Union women's national basketball team. Mamukelashvili's older brother David introduced him to basketball at a young age, and Sandro grew up idolizing the Georgian player Zaza Pachulia.[1] He was in Chicago visiting his aunt, noted pianist Eteri Andjaparidze, when the Russo-Georgian War broke out in August 2008.[2] David currently teaches English at Blair Academy In New Jersey.[3]

When he was 14 years old, Mamukelashvili moved to Biella, Italy, to attend high school. He competed on the U17, U18 and U19 teams and helped the teams to finish third place in the national finals. Mamukelashvili said that moving to Italy was difficult but his club and head coach Federico Danna made everything possible for him. In 2016, he moved to the United States to attend basketball powerhouse Montverde Academy, where he played alongside New York Knicks player RJ Barrett. While at Montverde, Pachulia became a mentor to the young man and introduced him to several NBA players such as Stephen Curry.[1] Mamukelashvili scored 11 points in a 72–45 win over Greensboro Day School to help Montverde reach the finals of the DICK’S Sporting Goods High School Nationals.[4] In April 2017, Mamukelashvili signed with Seton Hall over offers from USC, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt among others.[1] He chose the Pirates because his high school coach Kevin Boyle had a good relationship with Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard and his brother David lives nearby.[5] He is fluent in English, Georgian, Russian, and Italian.[1]

College career

As a freshman, Mamukelashvili averaged 2.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.5 blocks per game and helped the Pirates reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament. His best game as a freshman came against Xavier on February 14, 2018, when he scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds.[6] As a sophomore, he averaged 8.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.[7] On December 19, Mamukelashvili scored a season-high 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting and had eight rebounds in a 90–76 win over Sacred Heart.[8] Following his sophomore season, Mamukelashvili worked with Pachulia at his Academy in Tbilisi to expand his game, adding a jump stop and improving his three-point shooting.[1]

On November 29, 2019, Mamukelashvili scored 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting and had six rebounds in an 84–76 win over Iowa State in the Bahamas.[1] During the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, Mamukelashvili averaged 14 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game while making 61 percent of his shots from the field and 60 percent from behind the arc. He fractured his right wrist in a game against Iowa State on December 8 and missed several weeks.[9] On January 29, 2020, he returned to the court, playing five minutes in a 64–57 win over DePaul.[10] On February 19, with his father Zurab in attendance for the first time in two years, Mamukelashvili scored 15 points and had six rebounds, hitting the game-winning shot on an inbounds pass with 0.6 seconds remaining in a 74–72 win over Butler.[11] He had a career-high 26 points on February 29, in an 88–79 win over Marquette.[12] Mamukelashvili averaged 11.9 points and 6.0 rebounds per game as a junior. After the season, he declared for the 2020 NBA draft but did not hire an agent, signaling high potential to return to Seton Hall for his senior campaign.[13] After receiving second round interest, Mamukelashvili announced on August 1 that he was withdrawing from the draft and returning for his senior season.[14]

Coming into his senior season, Mamukelashvili was named to the Preseason First Team All-Big East, and he was expected to help replace the graduated Myles Powell.[15]

National team career

In July 2018, Mamukelashvili represented the Georgia national basketball team at the 2019 FIBA World Cup Qualifications and the Georgia U20 team at the FIBA U20 European Championship.[6] During the European Championship, he averaged 8.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game.[16]

Career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 Seton Hall 3409.6.471.296.6001.9.5.2.52.6
2018–19 Seton Hall 343429.2.437.301.6127.81.6.61.28.9
2019–20 Seton Hall 201826.1.540.434.6586.01.4.5.611.9
Career 885220.9.479.341.6215.11.1.4.87.1

References
  1. Zagoria, Adam (December 4, 2019). "Seton Hall has a player with a 'big' NBA future (and it's not Myles Powell)". NJ.com. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  2. Phillips, Gary (November 14, 2017). "A world away from war, Sandro Mamukelashvili has found a home at Seton Hall". The Athletic. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  3. Zagoria, Adam (October 30, 2020). "After training like Rocky, Seton Hall's 'Mamu' is ready to be 'The Man' for Pirates". NJ.com. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  4. Halley, Jim (March 31, 2017). "Third-seeded Montverde earns a trip back to DICK'S title game". USA Today. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  5. Braziller, Zach (October 31, 2017). "Seton Hall freshman adds new dimension, 'will play significant minutes'". New York Post. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  6. "Mamukelashvili to Represent Georgia This Summer". Seton Hall Pirates. June 11, 2018. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  7. Carino, Jerry (September 27, 2019). "Seton Hall basketball: Mamukelashvili 'coming out with an edge'". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  8. "Seton Hall storms past Sacred Heart for fourth straight win". New York Post. Associated Press. December 19, 2018. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  9. "Seton Hall loses Sandro Mamukelashvili for up to 2 months". ESPN. Associated Press. December 10, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  10. Fonseca, Brian (January 30, 2020). "Why Seton Hall's Kevin Willard was encouraged by Sandro Mamukelashvili's short return vs. DePaul". NJ.com. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  11. Kussoy, Howie (February 19, 2020). "Sandro Mamukelashvili buzzer-beater gives Seton Hall thrilling win". New York Post. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  12. "Powell leads No. 13 Seton Hall past Marquette 88–79". ESPN. Associated Press. February 29, 2020. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
  13. Zagoria, Adam (March 20, 2020). "Seton Hall's Sandro Mamukelashvili to test NBA Draft waters". NJ.com. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  14. Braziller, Zach (August 1, 2020). "Sandro Mamukelashvili returning to Seton Hall after NBA draft interest". New York Post. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  15. Braziller, Zach (October 29, 2020). "Seton Hall's emerging star is ready to step up with Myles Powell gone". New York Post. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  16. "Alexander Mamukelashvili". FIBA. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
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