height_ft death_date nationality birth_date cyears years death_place cteam team number college name high_school weight_lb birth_place position letter height_in bbr article_title
6 27 march 1990 american 17 february 1922 1949 1947 -- 1949 havre , montana new york knicks -lrb- interim hc -rrb- new york knicks 12 notre -lrb- 1946 -- 1947 -rrb- dame -lrb- 1940 -- 1942 -rrb- montana state ray kuka havre -lrb- havre , montana -rrb- 200 havre , montana forward k 3 kukara01 ray kuka

ray kuka

raphael eugene `` ray '' kuka -lrb- february 17 , 1922 -- march 27 , 1990 -rrb- was an american professional basketball player .
he played in the basketball association of america for the new york knicks during the 1947 -- 48 season and part of the 1948 -- 49 season .
kuka also served briefly as the knicks ' interim head coach for a few games in february 1949 .
joe lapchick , the regular head coach , was hospitalized to treat a stomach disorder .
kuka had also previously served as a team scout .
kuka played in college for notre dame before being drafted into the united states air force for world war ii .
after world war ii he returned home and played for montana state , where he earned all-conference honors .
