Joe Manni, a Class-2 player, was a great rebounder, defender and prolific scorer in the Mid-Atlantic conference. His career began in 1966, and by 1974, he had become a heavily recruited player, a status which remained a reality through 1998. During that time span, he competed for the New Jersey Blue Devils, the EPVA Chargers, the Charlotte Hornets and the Philadelphia 76ers.

A power forward, Joe carved his reputation as an outstanding player during his 15 years (1974-1989) with Pennsylvania’s many-time conference champions, the Bordentown Elks. With the Elks, he filled the role of Mr. Inside to Tony Levis’ Mr. Outside. These two great players worked the screen and mid-range shot, or its alternative, the screen and roll with great efficiency. As a result, Joe often maneuvered himself in classic fashion, then rolled to the basket and scored from short range following a pin-point pass from Tony Levis. He scored just as often after pulling down offensive rebounds. Joe earned the conference MVP award on 5 occasions. In 1991, he was selected MVP of the Eastern regional tournament. He led Bordentown to the NWBA’s Final Four tournament in 1976 (4th place) and 1977 (3rd). He was selected to the all- tournament team in 1977. From 1974 through 1990, he was selected on 8 all-tournament teams, including the prestigious Detroit and Music City invitationals.

Joe’s outstanding performances initially caught the attention of the NWBA’s international selection committee in 1978 when he was identified as an alternate for the US team that would compete in the World Championships. In 1981, he competed for the US select team that went undefeated in Japan. In 1986, he played on the starting five of the US team that won the World Championship in Australia, then again started for the gold-medal winners at the 1988 Paralympics. In 1990, he completed his admirable international career, winning a silver medal at the World Championships.