View source for Red Rocha

{{Short description|American basketball player (born 1923)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name         = Red Rocha
| image        = Red Rocha Bennett's ad (cropped).jpg
| caption      = Rocha in 1950
| height_ft    = 6
| height_in    = 9
| weight_lb    = 185
| birth_date   = {{birth date|1923|09|18}}
| birth_place  = [[Hilo, Hawaii|Hilo]], [[Territory of Hawaii]], U.S.
| death_date   = {{death date and age|2010|02|13|1923|09|18}}
| death_place  = [[Corvallis, Oregon]], U.S.
| high_school  = [[Hilo High School|Hilo]] (Hilo, Hawaii)
| college      = [[Oregon State Beavers men's basketball|Oregon State]] (1944–1947)
| draft_round  = --
| draft_pick   = --
| draft_year   = 1947
| draft_team   = [[Toronto Huskies]]
| career_start = 1947
| career_end   = 1957
| career_number   = 4, 6, 16
| career_position = [[Center (basketball)|Center]]
| years1          = [[1947–48 BAA season|1947]]–{{nbay|1949|end}}
| team1           = [[St. Louis Bombers (NBA)|St. Louis Bombers]]
| years2          = {{nbay|1950|full=y}}
| team2           = [[Baltimore Bullets (1944–54)|Baltimore Bullets]]
| years3          = {{nbay|1951|start}}–{{nbay|1952|end}},<br />{{nbay|1954|start}}–{{nbay|1955|end}}
| team3           = [[Syracuse Nationals]]
| years4          = {{nbay|1956|full=y}}
| team4           = [[Fort Wayne Pistons]]
| cyears1         = {{nbay|1957|start}}–{{nbay|1959|end}}
| cteam1          = [[Detroit Pistons]]
| cyears2         = 1963–1973
| cteam2          = [[Hawaii Rainbow Warriors basketball|Hawaii]]
| highlights   = 
* [[NBA champion]] ([[1955 NBA Finals|1955]])
* 2× [[NBA All-Star]] ([[1950–51 NBA season|1951]], [[1951–52 NBA season|1952]])
* Second-team [[NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|All-American]] – [[Helms Athletic Foundation|Helms]] ([[1947 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|1947]])
* Third-team All-American – Helms ([[1946 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|1946]])
* 3× [[List of All-Pacific-12 Conference men's basketball teams|All-PCC]] (1945–1947)
| stats_league = BAA and NBA
| stat1label    = [[Point (basketball)|Points]]
| stat1value    = 6,362 (10.9 ppg)
| stat2label    = [[Rebound (basketball)|Rebounds]]
| stat2value    = 2,747 (6.6 rpg)
| stat3label    = [[Assist (basketball)|Assists]]
| stat3value    = 1,153 (2.0 apg)
}}
'''Ephraim Joseph''' "'''Red'''" '''Rocha''' (September 18, 1923  –  February 13, 2010<ref>{{Cite news | last=McInnes | first=Brian | title=Former UH basketball coach Red Rocha dies | newspaper=Honolulu Star-Bulletin | date=February 13, 2010 | url=http://www.starbulletin.com/news/breaking/84309417.html }}</ref>) was an American professional [[basketball]] player and [[Coach (basketball)|coach]].

==Basketball==
[[Image:Red Rocha 1948.jpg|thumb|150px|left|Rocha, circa 1948]]
A 6'9" center from [[Oregon State University]], he earned [[List of All-Pacific-12 Conference men's basketball teams|All-Pacific Coast Conference]] honors in 1945, 1946, and 1947. He was also selected as a 1947 [[All-American]].

Rocha played in the [[Basketball Association of America|BAA]] and [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] in the late 1940s and early 1950s.  He represented the [[Baltimore Bullets (1944–54)|Baltimore Bullets]] in the [[1951 NBA All-Star Game]], the first NBA All-Star Game.<ref name=os/> Rocha had 6,362 career points in the NBA and won an NBA title with the [[Syracuse Nationals]] in 1955.<ref name=os>{{cite journal|date=Spring 2010|title=Legendary Hoop Star Red Rocha, Tower of the 'Thrill Kids,' Dies|journal=Oregon Stater|publisher=OSU Alumni Association|volume=95|issue=2|page=32|url=http://www.osualum.com/s/359/file_lib/1/28/201004_sports_634055524876424940.pdf}}</ref>  The first person from Hawaii to play in the NBA,<ref name="obit">{{cite news|url=http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindbeaversbeat/2010/02/rip_red_rocha_whose_life_at_os.html|title=R.I.P. Red Rocha, whose life at OSU as a "Thrill Kid" and in the NBA was right out of a movie script|last=Buker|first=Paul|date=February 15, 2010|work=[[The Oregonian]]|access-date=June 19, 2010}}</ref><ref>[[Cedric Ceballos]] was also born in Hawaii, but went to high school in California, whereas Rocha also went to high school in Hawaii. {{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/rochare01.html|title=Red Rocha NBA & ABA Statistics|work=Basketball-Reference.com|date=September 18, 2012}}</ref> Rocha still shares, with former teammate [[Paul Seymour (basketball)|Paul Seymour]], the [[NBA post-season records|NBA record]] for most minutes in a playoff game with 67.<ref name=bbdigest>{{Cite news| title = A March Marathon – Flashback: 1953's Four-OT Thriller - Boston Celtics vs. Syracuse Nationals| magazine = Basketball Digest| date = March 2003| url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCJ/is_5_30/ai_97615973| access-date = May 28, 2008| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060330051016/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCJ/is_5_30/ai_97615973| archive-date = March 30, 2006| url-status = dead}}</ref>

After his playing days he became a coach, including head coach of the [[Detroit Pistons]] from 1958 to 1960.<ref name=os/>  Rocha also coached the [[Hawaii Chiefs]] of the [[American Basketball League (1961–1963)|American Basketball League]].<ref>[http://www.apbr.org/ablhist.html Association for Professional Basketball Research American Basketball League page]</ref> Rocha then became head coach for the [[University of Hawaii]] [[Hawaii Rainbow Warriors basketball|men's basketball team]].<ref name=os/> At UH, he assembled what is known today as the "[[Fabulous Five (Hawaii)|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.<ref name="obit"/>

==BAA/NBA career statistics==
{{NBA player statistics legend|champion=y}}

===Regular season===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;"
|-
! Year
! Team
! GP
! MPG
! FG%
! FT%
! RPG
! APG
! PPG
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| [[1947–48 BAA season|1947–48]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1947–48 St. Louis Bombers season|St. Louis]]
| 48 || – || .314 || .690 || – || .8 || 12.7
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| [[1948–49 BAA season|1948–49]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1948–49 St. Louis Bombers season|St. Louis]]
| 58 || – || .389 || .768 || – || '''2.7''' || 10.5
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1949}}
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1949–50 St. Louis Bombers season|St. Louis]]
| 65 || – || '''.405''' || .703 || – || 2.4 || 11.8
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1950}}
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1950–51 Baltimore Bullets season|Baltimore]]
| 64 || – || .352 || '''.809''' || 8.0 || 2.3 || '''13.1'''
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1951}}
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1951–52 Syracuse Nationals season|Syracuse]]
| 66 || '''38.5''' || .401 || .770 || '''8.3''' || 1.9 || 12.9
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1952}}
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1952–53 Syracuse Nationals season|Syracuse]]
| 69 || 35.6 || .388 || .755 || 7.4 || 2.0 || 11.2
|-
|style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"| {{nbay|1954}}†
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1954–55 Syracuse Nationals season|Syracuse]]
| '''72''' || 34.3 || .368 || .782 || 6.8 || 2.5 || 11.3
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1955}}
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1955–56 Syracuse Nationals season|Syracuse]]
| '''72''' || 26.2 || .361 || .783 || 5.8 || 1.8 || 10.0
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1956}}
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1956–57 Fort Wayne Pistons season|Fort Wayne]]
| '''72''' || 16.0 || .349 || .757 || 3.8 || 1.1 || 5.3
|-
|style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career
| 586 || 29.9 || .370 || .759 || 6.6 || 2.0 || 10.9
|-
|}

===Playoffs===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;"
|-
! Year
! Team
! GP
! MPG
! FG%
! FT%
! RPG
! APG
! PPG
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| [[1947–48 BAA season|1948]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1947–48 St. Louis Bombers season|St. Louis]]
| 7 || – || .246 || .733 || – || .9 || 11.4
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| [[1948–49 BAA season|1949]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1948–49 St. Louis Bombers season|St. Louis]]
| 2 || – || '''.444''' || .800 || – || 3.0 || '''18.0'''
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1951|end}}
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1951–52 Syracuse Nationals season|Syracuse]]
| 7 || 39.4 || .432 || .725 || 6.9 || 1.4 || 17.0
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1952|end}}
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1952–53 Syracuse Nationals season|Syracuse]]
| 2 || '''53.5''' || .385 || .786 || '''8.5''' || '''3.5''' || 15.5
|-
|style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"| {{nbay|1954|end}}†
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1954–55 Syracuse Nationals season|Syracuse]]
| '''11''' || 33.7 || .418 || .759 || 6.7 || 1.3 || 12.4
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1955|end}}
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1955–56 Syracuse Nationals season|Syracuse]]
| 8 || 23.6 || .338 || '''.846''' || 6.5 || 1.9 || 8.5
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1956|end}}
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1956–57 Fort Wayne Pistons season|Fort Wayne]]
| 2 || 9.0 || .000 || .667 || 3.0 || .0 || 2.0
|-
|style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career
| 39 || 32.0 || .360 || .758 || 6.6 || 1.5 || 12.2
|-
|}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/rochare01.html Career stats]

{{Detroit Pistons coach navbox}}
{{Hawaii Rainbow Warriors basketball coach navbox}}
{{Syracuse Nationals 1954–55 NBA champions}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rocha, Red}}
[[Category:1923 births]]
[[Category:2010 deaths]]
[[Category:All-American college men's basketball players]]
[[Category:American Basketball League (1961–62) coaches]]
[[Category:American men's basketball coaches]]
[[Category:American men's basketball players]]
[[Category:American people of Portuguese descent]]
[[Category:Baltimore Bullets (1944–1954) players]]
[[Category:Basketball coaches from Hawaii]]
[[Category:Basketball players from Hawaii]]
[[Category:Centers (basketball)]]
[[Category:Detroit Pistons head coaches]]
[[Category:Fort Wayne Pistons players]]
[[Category:Hawaii Rainbow Warriors basketball coaches]]
[[Category:NBA All-Stars]]
[[Category:Oregon State Beavers men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Hilo, Hawaii]]
[[Category:Sportspeople of Portuguese descent]]
[[Category:St. Louis Bombers (NBA) players]]
[[Category:Syracuse Nationals players]]
[[Category:Toronto Huskies draft picks]]