Wilbur R. Trosch (August 2, 1938 – May 5, 2014) was an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player and coach. He excelled in both academics and athletics at Clairton High School in his hometown of Clairton, Pennsylvania, and earned a scholarship to play

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the Saint Francis Red Flash. Trosch led the Red Flash in scoring for all three seasons he played and was named team captain during his senior season. Although his height led to his nickname "Tree", Trosch did not play as a traditional big man and instead preferred long-range shooting as he remarked that he had "a

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

's mentality". He ranks 12th in points and sixth in rebounds amongst Red Flash players. Trosch was selected by the Syracuse Nationals as the 13th overall pick in the

1960 NBA draft The 1960 NBA draft was the 14th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 11, 1960, before the 1960–61 season. In this draft, eight NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball play ...

but he never played 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 S ...

(NBA) as he wanted to start a family. He played with the New York Tuck Tapers in the National Industrial Basketball League (NIBL) during the 1960–61 season and tried out for the

Pittsburgh Rens The Pittsburgh Rens were an American basketball team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that was a member of the American Basketball League from 1961–1963. History The American Basketball League played one full season, 1961–1962, and pa ...

of the American Basketball League (ABL) prior to the 1961–62 season. After his retirement from playing basketball, Trosch worked as a teacher at West Mifflin North High School. He taught social studies and history while he coached the basketball team. Trosch retired from teaching in 1998. Trosch died of a heart attack in

Fishers, Indiana Fishers is a city in Fall Creek and Delaware townships, Hamilton County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 76,794, and by 2019 the estimated population was 95,310. A suburb of Indianapolis, Fishers has grown rapidl ...

, after he fell ill on a golf course in

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trosch, Wilbur 1938 births 2014 deaths American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Pennsylvania Forwards (basketball) High school basketball coaches in the United States People from Clairton, Pennsylvania Basketball players from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Saint Francis Red Flash men's basketball players Syracuse Nationals draft picks