Lewis Rufus Hitch (July 16, 1929 – February 8, 2012) was an American professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
player. He was born in
Griggsville, Illinois
Griggsville is a city in Pike County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,226 at the 2010 census.
Geography
The community is in northeast Pike County approximately four miles west of the Illinois River. Pittsfield lies about seven miles ...
.
A 6'8"
forward/
center
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...
from
Kansas State University, Hitch played six seasons (1951–1957) in the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
as a member of the
Minneapolis Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers franchise has a long and storied history, predating the formation of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Founded in 1947, the Lakers are one of the NBA's most famous and successful franchises. As of summer 2012, th ...
,
Milwaukee Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...
, and
Philadelphia Warriors. He averaged 5.0
points per game in his career and won the
1952
Events January–February
* January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses.
* February 6
** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...
and
1953
Events
January
* January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma.
* January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a government-in-exile in Oslo.
* January 14
** Marshal Josip Broz Tito is chosen President of Yug ...
championships with the Lakers.
He died on February 8, 2012, after an extended illness.
Career statistics
NBA
Source
Regular season
Playoffs
References
External links
*
1929 births
2012 deaths
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from Illinois
Centers (basketball)
Culver–Stockton Wildcats men's basketball players
Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball players
Minneapolis Lakers draft picks
Minneapolis Lakers players
Milwaukee Hawks players
People from Griggsville, Illinois
Philadelphia Warriors players
Power forwards
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