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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 16, 1929 Griggsville, Illinois |
| Died | February 8, 2012 (aged 82) |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Griggsville-Perry (Griggsville, Illinois) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 1951: 2nd round, 19th overall pick |
| Selected by the Minneapolis Lakers | |
| Playing career | 1951–1957 |
| Position | Power forward / center |
| Number | 11, 12, 15, 14 |
| Career history | |
| 1951– 1953 | Minneapolis Lakers |
| 1953– 1954 | Milwaukee Hawks |
| 1954– 1957 | Minneapolis Lakers |
| 1957 | Philadelphia Warriors |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 2,075 (5.0 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 2,183 (5.3 rpg) |
| Assists | 499 (1.2 apg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Lewis Rufus Hitch (July 16, 1929 – February 8, 2012) was an American professional basketball player. He was born in Griggsville, Illinois.
A 6'8" forward/ center from Kansas State University, Hitch played six seasons (1951–1957) in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Minneapolis Lakers, Milwaukee Hawks, and Philadelphia Warriors. He averaged 5.0 points per game in his career and won the 1952 and 1953 championships with the Lakers.
He died on February 8, 2012, after an extended illness. [1]
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Won an NBA championship | * | Led the league |
NBA
Source [2]
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951–52† | Minneapolis | 61 | 13.9 | .358 | .670 | 4.0 | .8 | 3.6 |
| 1952–53† | Minneapolis | 70 | 14.7 | .349 | .610 | 3.9 | .9 | 3.7 |
| 1953–54 | Milwaukee | 72 | 34.1 | .367 | .639 | 9.6 | 2.0 | 8.0 |
| 1954–55 | Milwaukee | 57 | 25.5 | .387 | .675 | 6.1 | 1.8 | 6.2 |
| 1954–55 | Minneapolis | 17 | 19.0 | .471 | .694 | 5.5 | 1.4 | 5.8 |
| 1955–56 | Minneapolis | 69 | 16.4 | .400 | .758 | 4.1 | 1.1 | 4.2 |
| 1956–57 | Rochester | 30 | 18.5 | .372 | .725 | 4.0 | .5 | 4.8 |
| 1956–57 | Philadelphia | 38 | 15.2 | .377 | .703 | 3.5 | .7 | 3.7 |
| Career | 414 | 20.2 | .376 | .674 | 5.3 | 1.2 | 5.0 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952† | Minneapolis | 13 | 11.7 | .360 | .286 | 3.4 | .7 | 1.8 |
| 1953† | Minneapolis | 12* | 15.8 | .348 | .531 | 5.3 | .9 | 4.1 |
| 1955 | Minneapolis | 7 | 19.6 | .400 | .793 | 6.0 | 1.4 | 7.9 |
| 1956 | Minneapolis | 3 | 18.0 | .308 | .700 | 5.0 | .7 | 5.0 |
| 1957 | Philadelphia | 2 | 1.5 | .000 | 1.000 | 1.0 | .0 | 1.0 |
| Career | 37 | 14.5 | .360 | .585 | 4.5 | .9 | 3.9 | |
References
- ^ K-State ex athlete Lew Hitch dead at 82 Archived 2012-12-09 at archive.today
- ^ "Lew Hitch NBA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com
 | This biographical article relating to a United States basketball player, coach, or other figure born in the 1920s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
Categories:
- 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
- American basketball biography, 1920s birth stubs