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Princeton University Athletics
One on One with Mason Rocca '00
August 20, 2010 | Men's Basketball
Mason Rocca '00 helped the Princeton men's basketball team win Ivy League championships in 1997 and 1998 while the Tigers made NIT appearances in 1999 and 2000. Rocca's teams won three postseason games, including an NCAA Tournament game in 1998 and two NIT games in 1999. Rocca served as a captain in his senior season.
Rocca's current team, Armani Jeans Milano, will take part in the NBA's European preseason tour when Milano faces the New York Knicks on Oct. 3 in Milan, Italy.
What have you being doing since graduating from Princeton?
I've played professional basketball since graduation. My first year out I played in the IBL (International Basketball League) for the Trenton Shooting Stars. The next three years, I played for Jesi, a second-division team in Italy. The last year in Jesi we won the second-division playoffs, earning promotion to the first division for the first time in the club's history. From Jesi, I signed with a first-division team in Naples. During four seasons in Naples, our team competed in the Euroleague, the top European competition, and had one year playing in the ULEB cup, the second-best European competition. The last two years I've played for Milan's first division-team and played in the Euroleague both seasons.
How did your most recent season go? What are your plans/goals for next season?
The season went well in the Italian league but not as great in the Euroleague. In Italian league play, we made it to the finals for the second consecutive year. Unfortunately, both years we lost in the finals to Siena. Getting to the finals was a very important goal because it secured us another berth in the Euroleague next season.
Are you returning to Milan for another season?
In the spring I signed a two-year extension with Milan so I'll be going back next season. We have a solid core of guys coming back and they've already made some excellent new acquisitions including Penn alum Ibby Jaaber, an All-Ivy player, and Temple alum David Hawkins. Next season, we're hoping not only to make the finals but also to win it.
What was your experience like playing for Team Italia?
Playing for the Italian national team has been the highlight of my basketball career. The best experience was the 2006 World Championships in Japan. During that tournament, I got to play and guard some of the best basketball players in the world. It was an amazing sensation to be able to represent a country in a basketball tournament. Even in Japan there were groups of Italian fans that were extremely supportive and the tournament got a tremendous amount of coverage by the media in Italy, unlike in the States. The strangest sensation came when we played Team USA and I heard both national anthems. I realized I was going against the Star-Spangled Banner. However, after the anthem that sensation passed quickly and I wanted to beat them as badly as any other opponent.
What would be your advice for players who want to follow the career path you have chosen?
I would tell them to pursue it with every ounce of energy and commitment they have. I've heard several times that people questioned the toughness of Ivy League athletes because it was thought that they could always succeed doing something [other than professional basketball]. I've been able to succeed because once I committed to pursue basketball, I put everything I had into it and turned my back on other possibilities. This was especially difficult my first year out when I had a lucrative offer with a tech company (I majored in electrical engineering). I told myself that I wanted to pursue basketball until I was absolutely convinced that it was no longer an option. I received an invitation to tryout for the IBL in October. I was the last pick in the draft by the Trenton team whose owner picked me because his company was based in Princeton and thought a Princeton player might bring a few local fans. Sometimes you also just have to be in the right place at the right time!
Do you have any aspirations to work as a coach or front office executive in basketball? Professionally overseas or pro/college in the States?
I haven't decided yet if I want to stay involved in basketball after I finish playing or try something else. If I do stay involved in the game I think that coaching is what I'll do. Coming from Princeton I've developed some very clear ideas about what I think works on the court and what doesn't. My experience with Princeton basketball had a major cerebral aspect to it. I think I'd like coaching because I'd like to try out my ideas and philosophies of the game and see if it would translate into victories. Additionally, I also have to admit that Conor Neu's experience as a front office executive sounded very interesting and exciting (see One on One with Conor Neu from July 3, 2010).
When was the last time you were back on the Princeton campus? What is it that you miss about Princeton and/or Jadwin Gym?
Unfortunately, I haven't been back to reunions in a while. Fortunately, the reason is because I've been on teams that have been playing late into the postseason. The last reunion I made was about 8 years ago, I think. What I miss most about Princeton is seeing my friends and old teammates. I was blessed to play with some phenomenal players and people, along with great coaches while I was at Princeton. They taught me a lot and are a big reason why I'm still playing.
Princeton Basketball is...
...an extremely valuable part of my life. Princeton basketball exposed me to a fantastic group and network of players, coaches, and people. Princeton basketball epitomizes team play. Coach Carril along with many other great coaches created a style of basketball that has been imitated all over the world (I've had numerous Italian coaches ask me for tutorials and explanations of the Princeton offense). However, what many people don't realize is that the system works because of the type of players that run it; talented, smart players that know how to read game situations and are coached so that every member of the team on the court knows what each other is going to do. This level of cohesion is rare and I've never experienced it as well as I did at Princeton.