Gene Rock
Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | Caruthers, California | November 4, 1921
Died | October 31, 2002 San Diego, California | (aged 80)
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
Listed weight | 155 lb (70 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Huntington Park (Huntington Park, California) |
College | USC (1941–1943, 1946–1947) |
BAA draft | 1947 / Undrafted |
Playing career | 1947–1948 |
Position | Guard |
Number | 15 |
Career history | |
1947 | |
1947–1948 | Chicago Stags |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Career BAA statistics | |
Points | 10 (0.9 ppg) |
Assists | 0 (0.0 apg) |
Games played | 11 |
Stats at NBA.com | |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Eugene Rock (November 4, 1921 – October 31, 2002) was an American professional basketball player who played in the Professional Basketball League of America (PBLA) and the Basketball Association of America (BAA) during the 1947–48 season.[1][2] A native of Huntington Park, California, Rock attended Huntington Park High School before enrolling at the University of Southern California to play basketball.[1] While at USC, Rock earned varsity letters in 1942, 1943 and 1947.[3] Like many male college athletes during his day, Rock served in the military for two years before finishing college; he attained the rank of Captain in the Marine Corps.[3] Rock led the Trojans in scoring during 1942–43 (12.6 points per game) and again in 1946–47 (11.1 ppg).[3] During the former season, USC finished with a then-school record 23–5 mark en route to winning the Pacific Coast League Southern Division title.[3] Rock was also a teammate of future College Basketball Hall of Fame coaches Alex Hannum and Tex Winter.
After his college career ended, Rock went on to play for the Birmingham Skyhawks in the PBLA, which was a professional basketball league that lasted for less than one full season due to underfunding. He averaged 6.9 points per game in seven games before the league folded.[2] Rock then signed with the Chicago Stags of the BAA. In 11 games played, he averaged 0.9 points.[1] His basketball career ended after the season, and Rock went on to work for the Los Angeles Police Department, where he eventually became a captain.[3] Rock retired in 1979, and lived the rest of his life in the San Diego area. On October 31, 2002, he succumbed to cancer.[3]
BAA career statistics[]
Legend | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | Games played | ||||
FG% | Field-goal percentage | ||||
FT% | Free-throw percentage | ||||
APG | Assists per game | ||||
PPG | Points per game |
Regular season[]
Year | Team | GP | FG% | FT% | APG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1947–48 | Chicago | 11 | .222 | .500 | .0 | .9 |
Career | 11 | .222 | .500 | .0 | .9 |
Playoffs[]
Year | Team | GP | FG% | FT% | APG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1948 | Chicago | 2 | .000 | .000 | .0 | .0 |
Career | 2 | .000 | .000 | .0 | .0 |
See also[]
References[]
- ^ a b c "Gene Rock". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2010. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
- ^ a b "Professional Basketball League of America 1947–48". apbr.org. The Association for Professional Basketball Research. 2009. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f "Former Trojans player Rock dies". Sports Illustrated. CNN. November 1, 2002. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
- 1921 births
- 2002 deaths
- All-American college men's basketball players
- American men's basketball players
- Basketball players from San Diego
- Chicago Stags players
- Deaths from cancer in California
- Guards (basketball)
- Los Angeles Police Department officers
- Professional Basketball League of America players
- Sportspeople from Huntington Beach, California
- United States Marines
- Undrafted National Basketball Association players
- United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II
- USC Trojans men's basketball players