Rouse, a 6'7" forward from Pearl High School in Nashville, Tennessee, played college basketball for Loyola for coach George Ireland. He, along with high school teammate Les Hunter, joined the Ramblers and helped them become the first NCAA champion to feature four African-American starters in his junior year. Rouse anchored the middle, leading the team in rebounding as a sophomore (11.3 per game) and junior (12.1 per game). In the championship season of 1962–63, Rouse averaged 13.5 points. Rouse is best known for following Hunter's miss as time expired to defeat Cincinnati and spoil that school's bid to win a third straight NCAA title. The shot gave Loyola its first, and so far only, NCAA basketball championship. Rouse and the four other Loyola starters played the entire championship game, without substitution. In his senior year, Loyola returned four starters and had eyes on repeating as champions. Rouse upped his averages to 15.6 points and 12.5 rebounds per game. However, he dislocated his shoulder early in the season, hampering his effectiveness.
Rouse, a 6' 7 " forward from Pearl High School in Nashville, Tennessee, played college basketball for Loyola for coach George Ireland. She, along with high school teammate Les Hunter, joined the Ramblers and helped them become the first NCAA champion to feature four African-American starters in her junior year. Rouse anchored the middle, leading the team in rebounding as a sophomore (11.3 per game) and junior (12.1 per game) . In the championship season of 1962–63, Rouse averaged 13.5 points. Rouse is best known for following Hunter's miss as time expired to defeat Cincinnati and spoil that school's bid to win a third straight NCAA title. The shot gave Loyola its first, and so far only, NCAA basketball championship. Rouse and the four other Loyola starters played the entire championship game, without substitution. In her senior year, Loyola returned four starters and had eyes on repeating as champions. Rouse upped her averages to 15.6 points and 12.5 rebounds per game. However, she dislocated her shoulder early in the season, hampering her effectiveness.