Former Gator Tre Mann Shines in Charlotte Hornets Opening Night Win

The former Florida Gators point guard was the difference-maker in the Hornet's win on opening night

The former Florida Gator had a big night to start the NBA season / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Former Florida Gator Tre Mann put on a shooting clinic on Wednesday in the Charlotte Hornets’ opening night 110-105 win over the Houston Rockets. 

Mann poured in 24 points off the bench, including four triples. He also added six rebounds, one assist and one block. 

His scoring on the night really began in the second quarter. Despite checking in at the 6:26 mark of the first and scoring his first point three minutes later, it wasn’t until around the 4:30 mark of the second for when his output skyrocketed. Over these final four and a half minutes, Mann rained in two 3’s and a floater to bring his total to 10 points by halftime. 

However, he piled on the scoring in the second half. He added five more points in the third, bringing his scoring to 15 going into the final frame. Then, in the fourth, he tallied nine more to end with 24 points on the night (14 in the second half). Additionally, he iced the game with two late free throws that secured a 110-105 comeback win for the Hornets. 

Mann’s strong outing off the bench earned him praise after the game from his head coach. 

“Proud of Tre, very happy with the way Tre played,” Hornets head coach Charles Lee said after the game. “I even thought that he took it up another notch in the second half… And again, defensively just really good.”

It also seems like Mann flipped a switch coming out of halftime that led to this higher level of play. 

“We were down and we needed somebody to bring that spark, I changed my mindset to getting something on defense like bringing energy whatever way I could,” Mann said on what sparked his second half aggression. “Second half is closer to the end of the game and I just wanted to win really bad”