Hooper was a very gifted basketball player. He was by no means a Division 1 level player, but among the talent in this area he was head and shoulders above the competition. He was a natural point guard who possessed great court vision and a nice jump shot. I was lucky to have a chance at coaching such a promising, athletic talent as a young coach. As I learned very quickly, however, when talented players like Hooper only have the local Division III junior college as an option to play basketball it's usually because they're carrying heavy baggage.
Hooper was gifted to me by the outgoing Head Coach who left a healthy list of prospects on his way out. My first order of business when I assumed the helm was to connect with Hooper. To my delight, we hit it off really well from the outset. Getting in touch with him was never a problem throughout the summer. I didn't have any issues with him showing up to open-gym before classes began in the Fall either. The challenges began with Hooper once the school year started.
Everyday, there was an elaborate excuse for why he couldn't show up to practice. If it wasn't his long lost grandfather visiting from out of town, it was some other extenuating circumstance that kept him from being with the team. After a couple of weeks I grew tired of the various reasons for his absences. I gave him an ultimatum: he could either fully invest himself, or keep it moving.
A week into the preseason, Hooper came to my office and admitted that his mind wasn't in the right place due to some relationship issues. He was deeply in love with his high school sweetheart and needed to get that situation straightened out before he could really give the team his full attention. This was surprising given the amount of love he professed to have for basketball. Additionally, his grades were suffering immensely and he felt the need to devote significantly more time to that before it was too late. I appreciated his honesty and accepted his need to step away.
Ultimately, he failed out of school. I kept his information on file, however, figuring that he just needed some time to mature before he could take flight. Seven years later I searched for Hooper on Facebook and found him. A couple of weeks after messaging him my phone number, he gave me a call. Hooper was ready to give college another shot.
Me: Hey man. It's great to hear from you! What are you up to these days?
Hooper: I'm just working a regular job at a donut shop. Nothing special.
Me: Do you see yourself doing that in a few years? Give school a shot again. You owe that to yourself.
Hooper: That's a good question. I haven't thought about that. School has never been my thing, you know. I don't know, but the whole idea of ballin again is really making me consider this. I appreciate you reaching out to me again. It mean's a lot, coach. You know how much I loved ball.
Me: No problem. I've always wanted to coach you. Have you played anywhere since you left?
Hooper: Naw. Not at all. The only place I've been is to hell and back.
Me: The real world hasn't been good to you, eh?
Hooper: You can say that. I had to go through rehab not too long ago.
Me: Why?
Hooper: I was hooked on heroin.
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