Emotional return for Island great Hooper
JASON HOOPER has made the comeback that many feared he never would.
With the Guernsey 2023 NatWest International Island Games looming large on the horizon, Hooper – an all-time great in domestic basketball – ended an extensive injury break to represent Le Mont Saint in men’s Division One action last week.
The Island point guard has been plagued by long-term back problems and this came to a head nearly two full years ago when, deep into a match, he suffered a disastrous injury. He saw out the game but later rued that when he got a medical check-up.
‘It was two years ago, pretty much to the day, and I had ruptured three discs in my back,’ he said. ‘It was my three lowest discs in my back and I was pretty much told I would never play again.
‘My back still causes me gyp to this day, but I saw the Island Games is coming up and I thought I would have another go at it.’
In recent months he has been working with Island coach Adam Farish on a comeback, and while he has had to slow down his game significantly, it is going well so far.
Hooper said the feeling of his first match back was ‘really hard to put into words’.
‘I would go and watch Division One games and when I saw them playing, I would think “I wouldn’t be able to do that”.
‘To be able to prove myself wrong, and to go on and compete against some of the top players, and to get myself on the scoreboard again, it meant the world to me.’
Watched on by family and fellow players, he scored two three-pointers in the second quarter, showing that he can still shoot impressively.
Unsurprisingly, seeing Hooper back on court – and firing threes – struck a real chord with Farish.
‘There were points where all of us, myself included, did not think we would see him back on a basketball court, full stop,’ Hooper’s long-term coach said.
‘He has been through a helluva time trying to get his back sorted out.’
Former Guernsey Basketball Association president Pat Ogier had once named Hooper as ‘the best player of his generation and probably best ever’ for the island.
Farish has highlighted his charge’s exceptional vision of the game, meaning he still offers plenty despite being limited by his back problems.
‘He seems to have more time than anybody else – he picks passes better than everyone else,’ he added.
‘To have someone in the squad of his experience and charisma, and everything else he brings us, is a real bonus.’
