Rod Foster

{{Infobox basketball biography

| name = Rod Foster

| image =

| width =

| caption =

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 1

| weight_lb = 160

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1960|10|10}}

| birth_place = Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.

| high_school = St. Thomas Aquinas
(New Britain, Connecticut)

| college = UCLA (1979–1983)

| draft_year = 1983

| draft_round = 2

| draft_pick = 28

| draft_team = Phoenix Suns

| career_start = 1983

| career_end = 1986

| career_number = 10

| career_position = Point guard

| years1 = {{nbay|1983|start}}–{{nbay|1985|end}}

| team1 = Phoenix Suns

| highlights =

Second-team All-American – UPI (1981)
2× First-team All-Pac-10 (1981, 1983)
Second-team Parade All-American (1979)

}}

Roderick Allen Foster (born October 10, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player (6'1", 160 lb) who played for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted out of UCLA in the second round of the 1983 NBA draft (28th pick overall).

Career

As a senior at St Thomas Aquinas High School in New Britain, Connecticut, "Rocket" Rod Foster averaged 30.2 points per game, and led his team to the State Championship. He was named an Adidas All-American and second team Parade All-American.

A prized recruit, Foster chose to attend UCLA, recruited to the school by coach Larry Brown.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bruinsnation.com/ucla_basketball/2013/4/17/4233256/ucla-basketball-beginnings-and-endings|title=Notable UCLA Basketball Coaches Beginnings & Ends|date=April 17, 2013|website=Bruins Nation}}

As a freshman at UCLA, Foster helped lead the Bruins to the 1980 NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament Finals in 1980, where they lost to the Louisville Cardinals, playing under coach Larry Brown. Foster led UCLA with 16 points in the 59–54 loss, adding 6 steals and 5 assists. In the second round of the 1980 NCAA tournament, #8 seed UCLA upset the #1 overall seed DePaul Blue Demons, led by Foster's 18 points in a 77–71 victory. Foster then had 19 points in the next NCAA tournament game, a 72–68 win over the Ohio State Buckeyes. Overall, as a freshman, Foster averaged 11.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/boxscores/1980-03-24-louisville.html|title=UCLA vs. Louisville Box Score, March 24, 1980|website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/varsity-times/la-sp-vi-boys-basketball-former-ucla-guard-rod-foster-wins-first-game-as-windward-coach-20160128-story.html|title=Boys' basketball: Former UCLA guard Rod Foster wins first game as Windward coach|date=January 29, 2016|website=Los Angeles Times}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/boxscores/1980-03-09-depaul.html|title=UCLA vs. DePaul Box Score, March 9, 1980|website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.si.com/college/ohiostate/basketball/theres-nothing-sweet-about-these-ohio-state-losses|title=There's Nothing Sweet About These Ohio State Losses|first=Bruce|last=Hooley|website=Sports Illustrated|date=27 March 2020 }}

In December 1981, the NCAA put the UCLA basketball program on a two–year probation for violations.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1981/12/09/ucla-2-year-probation-80-finish-void/26f7999f-ceaf-4668-a0aa-8398deff7d3e/ |title=UCLA: 2-Year Probation, '80 Finish Void |date=1981-12-09 |newspaper=The Washington Post |place=Washington, D.C. |issn=0190-8286 |oclc=1330888409}}

Graduating from UCLA, Foster averaged 12.1 points and 2.1 assists per game, shooting 52.0% from the floor and 88.0% from the line in his 113-game UCLA career.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/rod-foster-1.html|title=Rod Foster College Stats|website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com}}

Foster is listed as one of the best free throw shooters in NCAA history, making 95 of 100 free throw attempts or 95.0% completion in his 1982 season.{{Cite web|url=https://wwwcache.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2020-10-22/best-free-throw-shooters-mens-college-basketball-history|title=The best free-throw shooters in men's college basketball history | NCAA.com|website=wwwcache.ncaa.com}}

Drafted in the 2nd round (28th overall pick) of the 1983 NBA draft, Foster's playing career was ended prematurely due to injury. In his NBA career, Foster averaged 7.2 points and 2.3 assists in 207 career games with the Phoenix Suns.{{Cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/f/fostero01.html|title=Rod Foster Stats|website=Basketball-Reference.com}}

In March, 1986, Foster suffered a compound fracture in his left leg in a jeep accident in the Arizona desert which ended his playing career. Foster was driving, with Phoenix Suns teammates Mike Sanders and Ed Pinckney as passengers, when the jeep tipped and crushed Foster's leg, causing severe career ending injuries.{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-03-25-sp-173-story.html|title=Rod Foster's Ordeal in the Arizona Desert : Jeep Accident Leaves Him With Broken Leg and Endangers His Career|date=March 25, 1986|website=Los Angeles Times}}

Personal

As of 2016, Foster was the head of the L.A. Rockets youth basketball program in Los Angeles. Early in 2016, he also briefly coached the boys varsity high school basketball team at the Windward School in Los Angeles.{{cite news|last1=Sondheimer|first1=Eric|title=Boys' basketball: Rod Foster won't be returning as Windward coach|url=http://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/varsity-times/la-sp-vi-boys-basketball-rod-foster-won-t-be-returning-as-windward-coach-20160302-story.html|accessdate=23 October 2016|work=Los Angeles Times|date=March 2, 2016}}

In 2020, Foster was named to the CIAC Boys Basketball All–Century team. John Bagley, Kris Dunn, Johnny Egan,

Mike Gminski, Calvin Murphy ( Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame), Harold Pressley and John Williamson were among the other 24 recipients.{{Cite web|url=http://ciacsports.com/site/?p=14127|title=CIAC Boys Basketball All Century Team | CIAC}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.theday.com/article/20200328/sport03/200329459|title=CIAC All-Century Teams for high school basketball feature five locals}}