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Princeton University Athletics
Rocca '00 to be Recognized at Maccabi-Milano Exhibition in Chicago
September 01, 2015 | Men's Basketball
Basketball alum Mason Rocca '00, who has enjoyed a long professional career overseas, will be recognized at the United Center in Chicago on Oct. 1 during a game between his former team Armani Olimpia Milano and Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Rocca, an Evanston, Illinois native, has played in the Italian professional leagues since 2001, playing for Milano from 2008-12. While at Princeton, Rocca played for teams that made the postseason all four years, including NCAA Tournament teams in 1997 and 1998 and NIT teams in 1999 and 2000. Rocca's sophomore year team in 1998 was ranked as high as No. 8 in the nation by the Associated Press and earned a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Round of 32. His junior year team made it to the NIT quarterfinals.
Milano's opponent, Maccabi Tel Aviv, had Princeton basketball alum David Blatt '81 as head coach from 2001-03 and 2010-14 before Blatt came to the NBA and coached the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA Finals in his first year as the Cavs' head coach. While with Maccabi, Blatt coached the team to the 2014 Euroleague title and six Israeli League championships in seven seasons.
Fans interested in attending the game can purchase tickets through Ticketmaster here and use the promo code Princeton for a discount sponsored by the Princeton Club of Chicago, which will receive a portion of the proceeds.