Ron
Rowan’s basketball success began with the Beaver Falls Fighting
Tigers. As a junior, he played on the 1980 WPIAL Championship team
and averaged 19.1 points per game, but was even better his senior
year (27 points per game). He was twice named first team All Section
and in the 1980-1981 season was Section MVP, AP and UPI All State, and
Converse and Basketball Weekly All American. Ron started college at
Notre Dame but transferred to St John’s University in 1983, and
played on teams that won the Big East regular season titles in 1985
and 1986, making the Final Four in 1985. In college, Ron was named
second team All Big East and Big East Scholar of the Year. Ron’s
professional career literally took him around the world. He had
short stints with Topeka and Cedar Rapids in the CBA, earning Rookie
of the Year honors in Topeka and was a two time League All Star. He
spent one season with the Portland Trailblazers in the NBA, but the
bulk of his professional career was in Europe: he played twelve
seasons in the Italian Professional League and one season for POAK
in Greece. He was a four time Italian League All Star and named
European Community Player of the Year for the 1999-2000 season.
After his playing days, Ron served as an assistant coach for the
Beaver County Community College when they won the National Junior
College Championship, then he was head basketball coach at Ambridge
High School, leading the Bridgers to a WPIAL playoff appearance.
Ron
Rowan’s basketball success began with the Beaver Falls Fighting
Tigers. As a junior, he played on the 1980 WPIAL Championship team
and averaged 19.1 points per game, but was even better his senior
year (27 points per game). He was twice named first team All Section
and in the 1980-1981 season was Section MVP, AP and UPI All State, and
Converse and Basketball Weekly All American. Ron started college at
Notre Dame but transferred to St John’s University in 1983, and
played on teams that won the Big East regular season titles in 1985
and 1986, making the Final Four in 1985. In college, Ron was named
second team All Big East and Big East Scholar of the Year. Ron’s
professional career literally took him around the world. He had
short stints with Topeka and Cedar Rapids in the CBA, earning Rookie
of the Year honors in Topeka and was a two time League All Star. He
spent one season with the Portland Trailblazers in the NBA, but the
bulk of his professional career was in Europe: he played twelve
seasons in the Italian Professional League and one season for POAK
in Greece. He was a four time Italian League All Star and named
European Community Player of the Year for the 1999-2000 season.
After his playing days, Ron served as an assistant coach for the
Beaver County Community College when they won the National Junior
College Championship, then he was head basketball coach at Ambridge
High School, leading the Bridgers to a WPIAL playoff appearance.