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

professional basketball In professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, participants receive payment for their performance. Professionalism in sport has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larg ...

player who spent one season in the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...

(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 league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

. He was drafted out of University of Dayton 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 New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

in the eighth round of the 1968 NBA draft, 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 of ...

University of Dayton

Hooper was a three-year letter-winner and starter for the Dayton Flyers. He played as a junior point guard for the 1966–67 Dayton Flyers team that played in the NCAA Basketball Championship game. They defeated North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball 76–62 in the national semifinal game before losing to UCLA, 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 five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...

, 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 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 t ...

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

Death

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

References

External links

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