James Rowinski (born January 4, 1961) is an American former 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.

College career

Rowinski, a 6'8" 250 lb

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 eccentricity ...

, attended and played collegiately at

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and ...

. Along with standout freshman and fellow center, Russell Cross, he helped lead the

Boilers A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, central ...

to a 21-11 record and to a third-place finish in the NIT under first year head coach,

Gene Keady Lloyd Eugene Keady (born May 21, 1936) is an American basketball coach. He is best known for his 25 years serving as the head men's basketball coach at Purdue University in Indiana. In his tenure leading the Boilermakers from 1980 to 2005, he went ...

. During his sophomore season at Purdue, Jim helped them to an NIT Finals appearance. In his Junior season, he led Purdue to the second round of the 1983 NCAA Tournament. After Russell Cross left for the NBA after his junior season, Rowinski became the starting center for the Boilermakers. During his senior season, he led the Boilers to a Co-

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conferen ...

title, a berth in the 1984 NCAA Tournament and an overall record of 22-7 for the season, averaging 15 points a game on the season. Jim was named ''First Team All-Big Ten'' and was also selected a team co-MVP with point guard, Ricky Hall. he was rewarded the Chicago Tribune Trophy, which is given the Big Ten's Most Valuable Player. He is one of three Purdue players to have been awarded this trophy; along with

Rick Mount Richard Carl Mount (born January 5, 1947) is a former American basketball player in the American Basketball Association (ABA). He was the first high school athlete to be featured on the cover of ''Sports Illustrated''. Early life Rick Mount's fath ...

(1969, 1970) and

Glenn Robinson Glenn Alan Robinson Jr. (born January 10, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Big Dog" and "The Chosen One", he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1994 to 2005 for the Milwaukee Bucks, Atl ...

(1994) were also recipients.http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/pur/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/2011-12/misc_non_event/11-12MBBRecordBook.pdf -->

Professional career

Jim Rowinski was drafted by the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference, Northwest Division. Since the 1991–92 season, ...

in the fourth round of the

1984 NBA draft The 1984 NBA draft was the 37th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was held at the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, on June 19, 1984, before the 1984–85 season. The draft is generally ...

. Although he did not play his drafted season, Jim eventually began his NBA career in 1988 with the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

and on through to 1990 with the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Ea ...

and the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

. His

NBA 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 ...

career lasted 23 games over two seasons, where he averaged 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds a game, along with an 84.4 percent at the free throw line and a 41.7 field goal percentage.

References

External links

NBA statistics
@ basketballreference.com
Spanish League profile
1961 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Belgium American expatriate basketball people in Spain American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American men's basketball players Basketball players from New York (state) CB Breogán players Centers (basketball) Detroit Pistons players Karşıyaka basketball players Liga ACB players Miami Heat players People from Long Island Philadelphia 76ers players Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball players Syosset High School alumni Topeka Sizzlers players United States Basketball League players Utah Jazz draft picks Yakima Sun Kings players {{1960s-US-basketball-bio-stub