View source for Mel Riebe

{{Short description|American basketball player (1916–1977)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name            = Mel Riebe
| image           = Mel Riebe 1948.jpg
| caption         = Riebe in 1948
| height_ft       = 5
| height_in       = 11
| weight_lb       = 180
| birth_date      = {{birth date|1916|7|12}}
| birth_place     = [[Cleveland, Ohio]]
| death_date      = {{death date and age|1977|7|25|1916|7|12}}
| death_place     =
| nationality     = American
| high_school     = [[Euclid High School|Euclid]] (Cleveland, Ohio)
| college         = 
| career_start    = 1943
| career_end      = 1949
| career_number   = 3, 7, 9, 5
| career_position = [[Guard (basketball)|Guard]] / [[Forward (basketball)|forward]]
| years1          = 1943–1944
| team1           = Cleveland Chase Brassmen
| years2          = 1944–1945
| team2           = Cleveland Allmen Transfers
| years3          = [[1946–47 BAA season|1946–1947]]
| team3           = [[Cleveland Rebels]]
| years4          = [[1947–48 BAA season|1947]]–[[1948–49 BAA season|1949]]
| team4           = [[Boston Celtics]]
| years5          = [[1948–49 BAA season|1949]]
| team5           = [[Providence Steamrollers]]
| highlights      = 
* 2× [[All-National Basketball League (United States) Team|All-NBL First Team]] (1944, 1945)
* [[NBL (United States) Rookie of the Year Award|NBL Rookie of the Year]] (1944)
* 2× [[List of National Basketball League (United States) scoring leaders|NBL scoring champion]] (1944, 1945)
| bbr             = riebeme01
}}
'''Melvin Russell Riebe''' (July 12, 1916 – July 25, 1977) was an American professional [[basketball]] player.

A 5'11" [[guard-forward]] who also played minor league baseball in the Cleveland Indians' organization, Riebe played professionally in both the [[National Basketball League (United States)|National Basketball League]] (1943–1945) and the [[Basketball Association of America]] (1946–1949), finishing his career with two seasons with the Boston Celtics. He led the NBL in scoring twice, averaging 17.9 [[points per game]] during the 1943–44 season and 20.2 points per game the following year as a member of the Cleveland Chase Brassmen and the Cleveland Allmen Transfers.

From 1950 to 1954 he attended the [[College of Wooster]], where he was ineligible to play basketball or baseball due to his professional experience but played on the golf team.  He spent the rest of his life as a football and basketball coach, athletic director, and physical education teacher at [[Waynedale High School]] in [[Apple Creek, Ohio]].

Riebe's brother, [[Hank Riebe]], was a catcher in [[Major League Baseball]] from 1942 to 1949.

==BAA career statistics==
{| class="toccolours" style="font-size: 90%; white-space: nowrap;"
|-
! colspan="6" style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid #aaa;"| Legend
|-
| style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid black;"| &nbsp;&nbsp;GP
| Games played
| style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid black;"| &nbsp;FG%&nbsp;
| style="padding-right: 8px" | [[Field goal (basketball)|Field-goal]] percentage
|-
| style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid black;"| &nbsp;FT%&nbsp;
| [[Free throw|Free-throw]] percentage
| style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid black;"| &nbsp;APG&nbsp;
| [[Assist (basketball)|Assists]] per game
|-
| style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid black;"| &nbsp;PPG&nbsp;
| Points per game
| style="background-color: #F2F2F2; border: 1px solid black" | &nbsp;'''Bold'''&nbsp;
| Career high
|-
|}

===Regular season===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;"
|-
! Year
! Team
! GP
! FG%
! FT%
! APG
! PPG
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| [[1946–47 BAA season|1946–47]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1946–47 Cleveland Rebels season|Cleveland]]
| '''55''' || .307 || '''.642''' || 1.2 || '''12.1'''
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| [[1947–48 BAA season|1947–48]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1947–48 Boston Celtics season|Boston]]
| 48 || '''.309''' || .620 || .9 || 10.2
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| [[1948–49 BAA season|1948–49]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1948–49 Boston Celtics season|Boston]]
| 33 || .291 || .603 || '''2.9''' || 11.0
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| [[1948–49 BAA season|1948–49]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1948–49 Providence Steamrollers season|Providence]]
| 10 || .295 || .529 || .9 || 6.1
|-
|style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career
| 146 || .304 || .621 || 1.5 || 10.8
|-
|}

===Playoffs===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;"
|-
! Year
! Team
! GP
! FG%
! FT%
! APG
! PPG
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| [[1946–47 BAA season|1947]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1946–47 Cleveland Rebels season|Cleveland]]
| '''3''' || .243 || .500 || .7 || 7.0
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| [[1947–48 BAA season|1948]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1947–48 Boston Celtics season|Boston]]
| '''3''' || '''.326''' || '''.700''' || '''1.0''' || '''14.0'''
|-
|style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career
| 6 || .288 || .654 || .8 || 10.5
|-
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{basketballstats|bbr=r/riebeme01}}

{{NBL (United States) All-Time Team}}
{{NBL (United States) scoring leaders}}
{{NBL (United States) Rookies of the Year}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Riebe, Mel}}
[[Category:1916 births]]
[[Category:1977 deaths]]
[[Category:American men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Basketball coaches from Ohio]]
[[Category:Basketball players from Cleveland]]
[[Category:Boston Celtics players]]
[[Category:Cleveland Allmen Transfers players]]
[[Category:Cleveland Chase Brassmen players]]
[[Category:Cleveland Rebels players]]
[[Category:College of Wooster alumni]]
[[Category:Forwards (basketball)]]
[[Category:Guards (basketball)]]
[[Category:High school basketball coaches in Ohio]]
[[Category:High school football coaches in Ohio]]
[[Category:Providence Steamrollers players]]
[[Category:Owensboro Oilers players]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]


{{1910s-US-basketball-bio-stub}}