The night before the final home game of his college career, Oakland University sharpshooter Max Hooper awoke at midnight to the sound of his phone ringing.
Hooper groggily answered the phone and heard his father's voice.
"He said, 'I just wanted to let you know I'll be there tomorrow night,'" Hooper said. "I was kind of out of it because I'd been sleeping, but I was really excited."
There was a time when Chip Hooper made it to almost every game his son played whether it was across town or across the country, but that changed when his health began to deteriorate. Four years ago, he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Then in October, he suffered a debilitating stroke that has confined him to a wheelchair.
Chip hadn't been healthy enough to travel from California to Michigan to see his son play even once the past two years, so it was of the utmost importance to him to make it for Max's senior night on Friday. He flew via private plane from Monterey Regional Airport on Friday morning and watched the game from a hospital bed set up for him on the concourse at the O'rena.
Max scored 12 points on four 3-pointers Friday night to help Oakland beat rival Detroit 108-97 and secure an all-important double bye in next week's Horizon League tournament. As soon as the game ended, Max skipped postgame handshake lines and raced up the stairs to hug his father, a heartwarming moment that was captured by ESPNU cameras and has since spread quickly on social media.
Hooper groggily answered the phone and heard his father's voice.
"He said, 'I just wanted to let you know I'll be there tomorrow night,'" Hooper said. "I was kind of out of it because I'd been sleeping, but I was really excited."
There was a time when Chip Hooper made it to almost every game his son played whether it was across town or across the country, but that changed when his health began to deteriorate. Four years ago, he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Then in October, he suffered a debilitating stroke that has confined him to a wheelchair.
Chip hadn't been healthy enough to travel from California to Michigan to see his son play even once the past two years, so it was of the utmost importance to him to make it for Max's senior night on Friday. He flew via private plane from Monterey Regional Airport on Friday morning and watched the game from a hospital bed set up for him on the concourse at the O'rena.
Max scored 12 points on four 3-pointers Friday night to help Oakland beat rival Detroit 108-97 and secure an all-important double bye in next week's Horizon League tournament. As soon as the game ended, Max skipped postgame handshake lines and raced up the stairs to hug his father, a heartwarming moment that was captured by ESPNU cameras and has since spread quickly on social media.
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