Kenneth Herman Rollins (September 14, 1923 – October 9, 2012) was an American professional basketball player. He competed at the 1948 London Olympics[1] and was a member of the University of Kentucky's "Fabulous Five" who won the 1948 NCAA tournament.[2] His college career was interrupted by service in the United States Navy during World War II. He was voted to the All-SEC and All-SEC Tourney teams following his junior and senior seasons.
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | September 14, 1923 Charleston, Missouri, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Died | October 9, 2012 (aged 89) Greencastle, Indiana, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Nationality | American | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 168 lb (76 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Wickliffe (Wickliffe, Kentucky) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Kentucky (1942–1943, 1946–1948) | ||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 1948: 3rd round, 32nd overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Fort Wayne Pistons | |||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1948–1953 | ||||||||||||||
| Position | Point guard | ||||||||||||||
| Number | 16, 4 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 1948–1950 | Chicago Stags | ||||||||||||||
| 1950–1951 | Louisville Alumnites | ||||||||||||||
| 1952–1953 | Boston Celtics | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
| Career BAA and NBA statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Points | 817 (4.9 ppg) | ||||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 45 (1.0 rpg) | ||||||||||||||
| Assists | 344 (2.0 apg) | ||||||||||||||
| Stats at NBA.com | |||||||||||||||
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |||||||||||||||
Medals
| |||||||||||||||
His brother, Phil, played for the University of Louisville and spent 3 seasons in the NBA.
Biography
Born in Charleston, Missouri, Rollins played high school basketball in Wickliffe, Kentucky. He later played professionally for the Chicago Stags of the BAA and the NBA, the Louisville Alumnites of the National Professional Basketball League and the Boston Celtics of the NBA. He died in October 2012 in Greencastle, Indiana where he had lived with his son since 2004.[3][4]
BAA/NBA career statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | MPG | Minutes per game | ||
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage | ||
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | ||
| PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high | ||
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948–49 | Chicago | 59 | – | .277 | .740 | – | 2.8 | 6.2 |
| 1949–50 | Chicago | 66 | – | .342 | .742 | – | 2.0 | 5.4 |
| 1952–53 | Boston | 43 | 9.9 | .330 | .815 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 2.3 |
| Career | 168 | 9.9 | .309 | .750 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 4.9 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | Chicago | 2 | – | .000 | .000 | – | 1.0 | .0 |
| 1950 | Chicago | 2 | – | .000 | .000 | – | .0 | .0 |
| 1953 | Boston | 6 | 10.8 | .400 | 1.000 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 3.3 |
| Career | 10 | 10.8 | .250 | 1.000 | 1.3 | .9 | 2.0 | |
References
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com
- Profile on Univ Kentucky fan site
- Olympic Profile
- Kenny Rollins at Find a Grave