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.
Rock, circa 1947 | |
Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | Caruthers, California, US | November 4, 1921
Died | October 31, 2002 San Diego, California, US | (aged 80)
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 | Birmingham Skyhawks |
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 | |
After his college career ended, Rock played 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 worked for the Los Angeles Police Department where he became a captain.[3] He served in the vice squad, Hollywood division.[4] 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
editLegend | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | Games played | ||||
FG% | Field-goal percentage | ||||
FT% | Free-throw percentage | ||||
APG | Assists per game | ||||
PPG | Points per game |
Regular season
editYear | Team | GP | FG% | FT% | APG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1947–48 | Chicago | 11 | .222 | .500 | .0 | .9 |
Career | 11 | .222 | .500 | .0 | .9 |
Playoffs
editYear | Team | GP | FG% | FT% | APG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1948 | Chicago | 2 | .000 | .000 | .0 | .0 |
Career | 2 | .000 | .000 | .0 | .0 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ "The Ladder, May 1957, Vol. 1, No. 8 | Alexander Street Documents". documents.alexanderstreet.com. Retrieved January 27, 2024.