Bobby Joe Hooper (December 22, 1946 – May 9, 2024) was an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player who spent one season in the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons from 1967 to 1976. The upstart ABA operated in direct competition with the more established National Basketball Association thr ...

(ABA) as a member of the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

. He was drafted out of

University of Dayton The University of Dayton (UD) is a Private university, private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary (Marianists), Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the U ...

by the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

in the eighth round of the

1968 NBA draft The 1968 NBA draft was the 22nd annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 3, 1968, and May 8 and 10, 1968, before the 1968–69 season. In this draft, 14 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. co ...

, but did not play for them.

High school

Hooper graduated from Simon Kenton High School in

Lees Creek, Ohio Lees Creek, also known as Centerville,DeLorme. ''Ohio Atlas & Gazetteer''. 7th ed. Yarmouth: DeLorme, 2004, p. 76. . is an unincorporated community in central Wayne Township, Clinton County, Ohio, United States. It lies at the intersection ...

University of Dayton

Hooper was a three-year letter-winner and starter for the

Dayton Flyers The Dayton Flyers are the intercollegiate athletic teams of the University of Dayton of Dayton, Ohio. All Flyers intercollegiate sports teams participate at the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA Division I level. The football team ...

. He played as a junior point guard for the 1966–67 Dayton Flyers team that played in the NCAA Basketball Championship game. Hooper's shot with four seconds left to defeat Western Kentucky in the first round was called the second greatest last-second shot in Dayton history. They defeated North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball 76–62 in the national semifinal game before losing to

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

, 79–64. In the championship game, Hooper tallied 6 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists. With Hooper as their

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...

, the Flyers reached the NCAA Sweet 16 in 1965–66, and the NIT championship game in 1967–68. He scored 1,059 career points, and set school records (since surpassed) in consecutive free throws made with 34 and career free throw percentage at .835. He was named to the 1967 All-Mideast regional team and the 1968 All-NIT team. Hooper was elected to the University of Dayton Athletic Hall of Fame in 1989. He was also named to UD's All-Century team in 2004.

Indiana Pacers

Hooper played professionally for one season in the American Basketball Association (ABA). He was in 54 games, averaging 5.0 points, 2.6 assists and 2 rebounds per game. He suffered a broken hand in February 1969 that hindered him the rest of the year. He averaged 17.7 minutes per game. In the ABA playoffs, he played in 16 games, averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game. His high-point game in the regular season was 14 against the

Oakland Oaks Oakland Oaks may refer to one of the following sport teams, listed chronologically: *Oakland Oaks (PCL), a minor league baseball team that played in the Pacific Coast League from 1903 to 1955 *Oakland Oaks (ice hockey), a professional ice hockey te ...

; his high game in the playoffs was 15, also against Oakland.

Later life

Hooper retired after the season and joined

Don Donoher Donald Donoher (January 21, 1932 – April 12, 2024) was an American college basketball coach and athletics administrator. He served as the head men's basketball coach at the University of Dayton from 1964 to 1989, compiling a record of 437–2 ...

’s staff as a part-time assistant coach at Dayton, becoming a full-time assistant the following year. He later served as an assistant coach with the Pacers. He suffered a breakdown in the mid 1970s but recovered. He found his faith in 1980 and decided to go back to school to finish his degree at Dayton. Hooper worked as a coach and teacher at Clinton-Massie High School. Devoutly religious, he became a pastor in the 1980s. He was an assistant pastor at the Marshall Road First Church of God in Kettering. He also volunteered for Hospice of Clinton County and Ross County.

Death

Hooper died on May 9, 2024, at the age of 77.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hooper, Bobby 1946 births 2024 deaths American men's basketball players Basketball players from Ohio Dayton Flyers men's basketball players Indiana Pacers draft picks Indiana Pacers players New York Knicks draft picks People from Clinton County, Ohio Point guards