Cesare Rubini

In 1994, when Cesare Rubini was elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame, headlines of his achievements blazed across newspapers in his beloved Italy. The native son dedicated five decades of his life to the establishment, structure, refinement, and advancement of Italian basketball and tirelessly made Italian basketball an international contender. As both a player and a coach from 1941 to 1978, Rubini methodically built both the Simmenthal Club of Milan and Italian basketball from scratch. During this time, Rubini won 15 Italian basketball championships, five as a player and ten as a coach. In 31 years as head coach of the Simmenthal Club of Milan, Rubini won nearly 80 percent of his games. He excelled in game situations, making key adjustments and smart substitutions during the heat of the action. A graduate of the University of Trieste, Rubini was a member of FIBA's Central Board and served as president of the World Association of Basketball Coaches.