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Red Rocha
	Rocha in 1950
Personal information
Born	September 18, 1923; Hilo, Territory of Hawaii, U.S.
Died	February 13, 2010 (aged 86); Corvallis, Oregon, U.S.
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, --
	Selected by the Toronto Huskies
Playing career	1947–1957
Position	Center
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
	NBA champion (1955); 2× NBA All-Star (1951, 1952); Second-team All-American – Helms (1947); Third-team All-American – Helms (1946); 3× All-PCC (1945–1947);
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 NBA.com
	Stats at Basketball Reference

Ephraim Joseph "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	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high
†	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