Red Rocha
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born |
September 18, 1923 Hilo, Hawaii |
| Died |
February 13, 2010 (aged 86) Corvallis, Oregon |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Hilo (Hilo, Hawaii) |
| College | Oregon State (1944–1947) |
| NBA draft | 1947 / Round: -- / Pick: -- |
| Selected by the Toronto Huskies | |
| Playing career | 1947–1957 |
| Position | Center / Forward |
| Number | 4, 6, 16 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1947–1950 | St. Louis Bombers |
| 1950–1951 | Baltimore Bullets |
| 1951–1953, 1954–1956 | Syracuse Nationals |
| 1956–1957 | Fort Wayne Pistons |
| As coach: | |
| 1957–1960 | Detroit Pistons |
| 1963–1973 | Hawaii |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career BAA and NBA statistics | |
| Points | 6,362 (10.9 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 2,747 (6.6 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,153 (2.0 apg) |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Ephraim J. "Red" Rocha (September 18, 1923 – February 13, 2010[1]) was an American professional basketball player and coach.
Basketball
A 6'9" center from Oregon State University, he earned All-Pacific Coast Conference honors in 1945, 1946, and 1947. He was also selected as a 1947 All-American.
Rocha played in the BAA and NBA in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He represented the Baltimore Bullets in the 1951 NBA All-Star Game, the first NBA All-Star Game.[2] Rocha had 6,362 career points in the NBA and won an NBA title with the Syracuse Nationals in 1955.[2] The first person from Hawaii to play in the NBA,[3][4] Rocha still shares, with former teammate Paul Seymour, the NBA record for most minutes in a playoff game with 67.[5]
After his playing days he became a coach, including head coach of the Detroit Pistons from 1958 to 1960.[2] Rocha also coached the Hawaii Chiefs of the American Basketball League.[6] Rocha then became head coach for the University of Hawaii men's basketball team.[2] At UH, he assembled what is known today as the "Fabulous Five" during the 1970 to 1972 seasons. In 1970, the team advanced to postseason play for the first time in school history. Red also co-founded the Rainbow Classic — an eight-team collegiate men's basketball tournament, with UH hosting the tournament.
Later years
He was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1980, and into the Oregon State University Sports Hall of Fame in 1990. Ephraim "Red" Rocha died from cancer on February 13, 2010, in Corvallis, Oregon, at the age of 86.[3]
BAA/NBA career statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | MPG | Minutes per game | ||
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage | ||
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | ||
| PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high | ||
| † | Denotes season in which Rocha won an NBA championship |
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947–48 | St. Louis | 48 | – | .314 | .690 | – | .8 | 12.7 |
| 1948–49 | St. Louis | 58 | – | .389 | .768 | – | 2.7 | 10.5 |
| 1949–50 | St. Louis | 65 | – | .405 | .703 | – | 2.4 | 11.8 |
| 1950–51 | Baltimore | 64 | – | .352 | .809 | 8.0 | 2.3 | 13.1 |
| 1951–52 | Syracuse | 66 | 38.5 | .401 | .770 | 8.3 | 1.9 | 12.9 |
| 1952–53 | Syracuse | 69 | 35.6 | .388 | .755 | 7.4 | 2.0 | 11.2 |
| 1954–55† | Syracuse | 72 | 34.3 | .368 | .782 | 6.8 | 2.5 | 11.3 |
| 1955–56 | Syracuse | 72 | 26.2 | .361 | .783 | 5.8 | 1.8 | 10.0 |
| 1956–57 | Fort Wayne | 72 | 16.0 | .349 | .757 | 3.8 | 1.1 | 5.3 |
| Career | 586 | 29.9 | .370 | .759 | 6.6 | 2.0 | 10.9 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | St. Louis | 7 | – | .246 | .733 | – | .9 | 11.4 |
| 1949 | St. Louis | 2 | – | .444 | .800 | – | 3.0 | 18.0 |
| 1952 | Syracuse | 7 | 39.4 | .432 | .725 | 6.9 | 1.4 | 17.0 |
| 1953 | Syracuse | 2 | 53.5 | .385 | .786 | 8.5 | 3.5 | 15.5 |
| 1955† | Syracuse | 11 | 33.7 | .418 | .759 | 6.7 | 1.3 | 12.4 |
| 1956 | Syracuse | 8 | 23.6 | .338 | .846 | 6.5 | 1.9 | 8.5 |
| 1957 | Fort Wayne | 2 | 9.0 | .000 | .667 | 3.0 | .0 | 2.0 |
| Career | 39 | 32.0 | .360 | .758 | 6.6 | 1.5 | 12.2 | |
References
- ↑ McInnes, Brian (February 13, 2010). "Former UH basketball coach Red Rocha dies". Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
- 1 2 3 4 "Legendary Hoop Star Red Rocha, Tower of the 'Thrill Kids,' Dies" (PDF). Oregon Stater. OSU Alumni Association. 95 (2): 32. Spring 2010.
- 1 2 Buker, Paul (February 15, 2010). "R.I.P. Red Rocha, whose life at OSU as a "Thrill Kid" and in the NBA was right out of a movie script". The Oregonian. Retrieved 19 June 2010.
- ↑ Cedric Ceballos was also born in Hawaii, but went to high school in California, whereas Rocha also went to high school in Hawaii. "Red Rocha NBA & ABA Statistics". Basketball-Reference.com. 2012-09-18.
- ↑ "A March Marathon – Flashback: 1953's Four-OT Thriller - Boston Celtics vs. Syracuse Nationals". Basketball Digest. March 2003. Archived from the original on 2006-03-30. Retrieved 2008-05-28.
- ↑ Association for Professional Basketball Research American Basketball League page
