Richard E. Atha (September 21, 1931 – February 6, 2020) was an American basketball player and coach.
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | September 21, 1931 Otterbein, Indiana | ||||||||||||||
| Died | February 6, 2020 (aged 88) Oxford, Indiana | ||||||||||||||
| Nationality | American | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Otterbein (Otterbein, Indiana) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Indiana State (1950–1953) | ||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 1953: 6th round, 50th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Selected by the New York Knicks | |||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1955–1958 | ||||||||||||||
| Position | Point guard | ||||||||||||||
| Number | 17, 7 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 1955–1956 | New York Knicks | ||||||||||||||
| 1957–1958 | Detroit Pistons | ||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Points | 137 | ||||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 66 | ||||||||||||||
| Assists | 51 | ||||||||||||||
| Stats at NBA.com | |||||||||||||||
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Basketball career edit
He played collegiately for the Indiana State Sycamores and scored 1,119 career points. He led the team in scoring during the 1951–52 and 1952–53 seasons. He was a 3-time All-Indiana Collegiate Conference guard and was selected as an Helms Athletic Foundation All-American for the 1953 season; leading the Sycamores to a 3rd-place finish in the National NAIA Tournament. He started every game during his 3-yr varsity career (85 games), as the Sycamores compiled a 57–28 (20–10 ICC) record. During the 2nd round of the 1952–53 NAIA Tournament,[1] he scored his career high (32 points) vs Arkansas Tech as the Sycamores soundly defeated the Wonder Boys, 100-81.
During his sophomore season, (1950–51), Atha was a member of the US National Men's Basketball team; he averaged 4.3 ppg in helping the U.S. to a 6–0 record and the first gold medal in Pan Am Games history.[2]
He was selected by the New York Knicks in the 1953 NBA draft; however, he served two years in the United States Army before beginning his professional career; he played for the Knicks (1955–56) and Fort Wayne Pistons (now the Detroit Pistons) (1957–58) in the NBA for 43 games before an injury ended his playing career.
Later career edit
Following his NBA career, Atha was the head basketball coach at Oxford High for ten seasons. When Oxford High consolidated into Benton Central High School in Oxford, Indiana, he became the principal, serving during the 1970s and 1980s. He moved to the athletic director post in the summer of 1986, and retired from that position in 1997.
He was inducted into the Indiana State University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1984[3] and into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988.[4]
Career statistics edit
| 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 |
NBA edit
Source[7]
Regular season edit
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955–56 | New York | 25 | 11.5 | .409 | .778 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 3.7 |
| 1957–58 | Detroit | 18 | 8.9 | .362 | .833 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 2.4 |
| Career | 43 | 10.4 | .393 | .795 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 3.2 | |
References edit
- ^ Benson, Michael (2007-09-27). Everything You Wanted to Know About the New York Knicks: A Who's Who of Everyone Who Ever Played On or Coached the NBA's Most Celebrated Team. Taylor Trade Publishing. ISBN 9781461734789.
- ^ "Usab: First Pan American Games 1951". Archived from the original on 2014-05-27. Retrieved 2013-11-18.
- ^ "Dick Atha – Indiana State Athletics Hall of Fame – GoSycamores.com Official Web Site of Indiana State Athletics". www.gosycamores.com. Archived from the original on 2016-08-05. Retrieved 2016-05-26.
- ^ "Dick Atha | Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame". www.hoopshall.com. Retrieved 2016-05-26.
- ^ Golden, Todd Aaron (February 6, 2020). "ISU basketball legend Atha dies at 88". Tribune-Star. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
- ^ "Richard "Dick" Atha Obituary (1931–2020) Journal & Courier". Legacy.com.
- ^ "Dick Atha". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
External links edit
- Career statistics and player information from NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com
- Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame
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