Eugene "Gene" Rock was an American professional basketball player who played in the Professional Basketball League of America

Professional Basketball League of America

The Professional Basketball League of America was a basketball league in the United States that was started in 1947 in response to the tremendous upsurge in interest in basketball in the era immediately following World War II...

 (PBLA) and the Basketball Association of America

Basketball Association of America

The Basketball Association of America was a professional basketball league in North America, founded in 1946. The league merged with the National Basketball League in 1949, forming the National Basketball Association ...

 (BAA) during the 1947–48 season. A native of Huntington Beach, California

Huntington Beach, California

Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County in Southern California. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 189,992; making it the largest beach city in Orange County in terms of population...

, Rock attended Huntington Beach High School

Huntington Beach High School

Huntington Beach High School is a public high school in Huntington Beach, California. Opened in 1906, it is part of the Huntington Beach Union High School District. HBHS is a California Distinguished School...

 before enrolling at the University of Southern California

University of Southern California

The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...

 to play basketball. While at USC, Rock earned varsity letters in 1942, 1943 and 1947. Like many male college athletes during his day, Rock served in the military for two years before finishing college; he was in the Marine Corps

United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

.