Joaquín G. Rojas (July 6, 1938 – January 30, 2018) was a Filipino

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 (appro ...

player who played in the Summer Olympics.

Career

Rojas is known for playing in the

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...

position. He played for the collegiate squad of the

University of the Visayas The University of the Visayas (UV) is a private institution located in Cebu City, Philippines. It is the first school in the province of Cebu to attain university status. History Vicente Gullas (1898–1970) founded the University of the Visa ...

and was part of the squad that made an upset against Ateneo in the 1957 intercollegiate. Rojas went on to play at the Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association as he was recruited by Julian Macoy to play for Yutivo in the 1960s but a year later moved to

Ysmael Steel Admirals The Ysmael Steel Admirals were a basketball team that became active in the Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association (MICAA) from 1958 to 1968. It was best known for its rivalry with the YCO Painters. It won numerous titles in the Na ...

where gained significant reputation. and later with Mariwasa with Narciso Bernardo and Edgardo Roque. He also played for the Toyota Comets during the first two seasons of the

Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines, composed of twelve company-branded Franchising, franchise teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia ...

in 1975 and 1976. He helped won titles for Ysmael, and Mariwasa. Rojas also aided Toyota in securing titles during the inaugural

1975 PBA season The 1975 PBA season was the inaugural season of the Philippine Basketball Association. Notable events In 1975, nine big corporations with basketball teams in the Manila Industrial Commercial Athletic Association (MICAA) declared their independ ...

. Rojas was part of the Philippines national basketball team from 1965 to 1971. He competed at the

1966 Asian Games The 1966 Asian Games, also known as the V Asiad or Bangkok 1966, were a continental multi-sport event that was held from 9 to 20 December 1966, in Bangkok, Thailand. A total of 142 events in 16 sports were contested by athletes during the games. T ...

which saw the Philippines losing its chance to win a medal after losing to South Korea in the quarterfinal. However Rojas helped the national team secure the

1967 ABC Championship The 1967 Asian Basketball Confederation Championship for Men were held in Seoul, South Korea. Results Final standing Awards References Resultsarchive.fiba.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Abc Championshi ...

and then competed at the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Mexico 1968 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 October 1968, in Mexico City, Mexico. These were the first Ol ...

. In the 1969 edition of the ABC Championship, the Rojas with the national team lost the title to South Korea settling for bronze.

Death

Rojas died on January 30, 2018. He has been ill for the last few years of his life. Rojas' wake was hosted in Imus, Cebu City.

References

External links

* 1938 births 2018 deaths Olympic basketball players for the Philippines Basketball players at the 1968 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 1966 Asian Games Philippines men's national basketball team players Filipino men's basketball players Toyota Super Corollas players Asian Games basketball players for the Philippines Point guards Basketball players from Southern Leyte 20th-century Filipino sportsmen {{Philippines-basketball-bio-stub