Mason Rocca
Encyclopedia
Richard Mason Rocca is an Italian
-American
professional basketball
player. His father is of Italian descent. Mason currently plays basketball for the Italian
Euroleague
club Olimpia Milano
.
He stands 204 cm tall, weighs 98 kg, and he plays as a forward-center
.
while achieving a degree in engineering
. Following his college career in 2000, he played basketball for the Trenton Shooting Stars, of the International Basketball League
.
In 2001, he moved to Europe joining Aurora Jesi
of the Italian LegADue
. Rocca's skills would developed through hard work during this span and in 2004 he moved to Naples
.
In the following three years, he became an integral part of the team and an idol of the local supporters. In 2006 he was a member of the Italian Cup Championship Napoli squad that reached the Playoff semifinal (lost against Fortitudo Bologna
).
In 2007, his team has participated in the Euroleague
and lost in the Italian Supercup match against Benetton Treviso
.
In 2008 he joined Armani Jeans Milano where he helped the team make it to the second round (round of 16) in the Euroleague, and to the semi-finals of the Italian Lega A where they lost to Siena. He continues in 2009 to play with Armani Jeans Milano.
| align="left" | 2004–05
| align="left" | Napoli
| 37 || 16 || 22.8 || .559 || .000 || .557 || 7.1 || .8 || 1.5 || .1 || 10.1
|-
| align="left" | 2005–06
| align="left" | Napoli
| 42 || 2 || 22.2 ||.599|| .000 || .679 || 7.1 || .6 || 1.9 || .2 || 10.7
|-
| align="left" | 2006–07
| align="left" | Napoli
| 37 || 24 || 26.1 || .615 || .000 || .549 || 7.0 || .8 || 1.8 || .1 ||11.6
|-
| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | Napoli
| 33 || 30 || 27.5 || .583 || .000 || 480 ||7.9||1.1||2.3 || .1 || 11.2
|-
| align="left" | 2008–09
| align="left" | Milano
| 40 || 11 || 13.9 || .533 ||.000|| .611 || 4.3 || .3 || 1.3 || .1 || 5.4
|-
| align="left" | 2009–10
| align="left" | Milano
| 18 || 12 || 22.6 || 590 || .000 ||.642|| 5.4 || .4 || 1.3 || .1 || 8.4
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 209 || 95 || 22.2 || .583 || .000 || .581 || 6.5 || .7 || 1.6 || .1 || 9.6
in 2006.
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player. His father is of Italian descent. Mason currently plays basketball for the Italian
Serie A (basketball)
Lega Basket Serie A is the highest level club competition in Italian professional basketball where play determines the national champion. The season consists of a home-and-away schedule of 30 games, followed by an eight-team playoff round. Quarterfinals and semifinals series are best-of-five, and...
Euroleague
Euroleague
Euroleague Basketball, commonly known as the Euroleague, is the highest level tier and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different countries, members of FIBA Europe. For sponsorship reasons, for five seasons starting with 2010–2011, it is...
club Olimpia Milano
Olimpia Milano
Olimpia Milano is a Lega Basket Italian professional basketball team, based in Milan, Italy, founded in 1936 by Milan businessman Adolfo Bogoncelli. Its colors are red and white, and the team is sometimes referred as "Scarpette Rosse" because team officials imported from the United States red...
.
He stands 204 cm tall, weighs 98 kg, and he plays as a forward-center
Forward-Center
Forward–center is a basketball position for players who play or have played both forward and center on a consistent basis. Typically, this means power forward and center, since these are usually the two biggest player positions on any basketball team, and therefore more often overlap each...
.
Club career
Rocca played collegiately at Princeton UniversityPrinceton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
while achieving a degree in engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
. Following his college career in 2000, he played basketball for the Trenton Shooting Stars, of the International Basketball League
International Basketball League
The International Basketball League was a short lived professional basketball league in the United States. The IBL was headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. The league started in 1999 and ended in 2001.-History:...
.
In 2001, he moved to Europe joining Aurora Jesi
Aurora Basket Jesi
Aurora Basket Jesi, also known for sponsorship reasons as Fileni Jesi is an Italian professional basketball team from the town of Jesi.-History:...
of the Italian LegADue
LegADue
Legadue or Lega2 is the second-highest division of professional club basketball in Italy since 2001-2002 season...
. Rocca's skills would developed through hard work during this span and in 2004 he moved to Naples
Basket Napoli
Basket Napoli is an Italian professional basketball club that is based in the city of Naples. For past club sponsorship names, see the list below.-History:...
.
In the following three years, he became an integral part of the team and an idol of the local supporters. In 2006 he was a member of the Italian Cup Championship Napoli squad that reached the Playoff semifinal (lost against Fortitudo Bologna
Fortitudo Bologna
Fortitudo Pallacanestro Bologna is an Legadue Basket professional basketball club that is based in Bologna. It's currently sponsored by Conad.-History:...
).
In 2007, his team has participated in the Euroleague
Euroleague
Euroleague Basketball, commonly known as the Euroleague, is the highest level tier and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different countries, members of FIBA Europe. For sponsorship reasons, for five seasons starting with 2010–2011, it is...
and lost in the Italian Supercup match against Benetton Treviso
Pallacanestro Treviso
Pallacanestro Treviso, more often known by its sponsorship name of Benetton Basket, or Benetton Treviso, is an Italian Serie A League professional basketball club from Treviso, the headquarters city of its longtime owner Benetton Group...
.
In 2008 he joined Armani Jeans Milano where he helped the team make it to the second round (round of 16) in the Euroleague, and to the semi-finals of the Italian Lega A where they lost to Siena. He continues in 2009 to play with Armani Jeans Milano.
Italian League career statistics
|-| align="left" | 2004–05
Serie A (basketball) 2004-05
- Regular Season 2004/05 :Teams marked in green qualified for the playoffs. Teams marked in red were relegated to Serie A2. Scavolini Pesaro has gone bankrupt after the season and moved to Serie B, sparing Reggio Calabria relegation.- Playoffs :...
| align="left" | Napoli
Basket Napoli
Basket Napoli is an Italian professional basketball club that is based in the city of Naples. For past club sponsorship names, see the list below.-History:...
| 37 || 16 || 22.8 || .559 || .000 || .557 || 7.1 || .8 || 1.5 || .1 || 10.1
|-
| align="left" | 2005–06
Serie A (basketball) 2005-06
- Regular Season 2005/06 :Teams marked in green qualified for the playoffs. Teams marked in red were relegated to Serie A2. BT Roseto team went bankrupt after the season, therefore Air Avellino was spared relegation.- Playoffs :Quarterfinals...
| align="left" | Napoli
| 42 || 2 || 22.2 ||.599|| .000 || .679 || 7.1 || .6 || 1.9 || .2 || 10.7
|-
| align="left" | 2006–07
Serie A (basketball) 2006-07
- Regular Season 2006/07 :Teams marked in green qualified for the playoffs. Teams marked in red were relegated to Serie A2. Benetton has been penalized 12 points for signing 19 professional players instead of maximum allowed 18...
| align="left" | Napoli
| 37 || 24 || 26.1 || .615 || .000 || .549 || 7.0 || .8 || 1.8 || .1 ||11.6
|-
| align="left" | 2007–08
Serie A (basketball) 2007-08
The Serie A FIP 2007-08 was the 86th edition of the top-level Italian basketball championship. The regular season began on September 30, 2007 and ended on April 27, 2008.The 18 participating teams played each other in home and away matches...
| align="left" | Napoli
| 33 || 30 || 27.5 || .583 || .000 || 480 ||7.9||1.1||2.3 || .1 || 11.2
|-
| align="left" | 2008–09
Serie A (basketball) 2008-09
The Serie A FIP 2008-09 was the 87th edition of the top-level Italian basketball championship. The 16 participating teams played each other team in home and away matches. At the end of the regular season, the first eight classified teams advanced to a championship play-off, while the last two were...
| align="left" | Milano
Olimpia Milano
Olimpia Milano is a Lega Basket Italian professional basketball team, based in Milan, Italy, founded in 1936 by Milan businessman Adolfo Bogoncelli. Its colors are red and white, and the team is sometimes referred as "Scarpette Rosse" because team officials imported from the United States red...
| 40 || 11 || 13.9 || .533 ||.000|| .611 || 4.3 || .3 || 1.3 || .1 || 5.4
|-
| align="left" | 2009–10
| align="left" | Milano
| 18 || 12 || 22.6 || 590 || .000 ||.642|| 5.4 || .4 || 1.3 || .1 || 8.4
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 209 || 95 || 22.2 || .583 || .000 || .581 || 6.5 || .7 || 1.6 || .1 || 9.6
Italian national team
Rocca was a member of the Italian senior roster at World Championship2006 FIBA World Championship
The 2006 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Japan from August 19 to September 3, 2006. It was co-organised by the International Basketball Federation , Japan Basketball Association and the 2006 Organizing Committee...
in 2006.