By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
After a storied, 27-year career leading the Salina South boys and girls basketball teams, Jason Hooper announced on Friday that he would be stepping down as South’s head boys basketball coach.
Coach Hooper leaves behind a legacy of winning, having accumulated 214 career wins, 11 winning seasons, 3 SIT tournament titles, and the South girls’ most recent 5A state tournament appearance in 2013.
This season saw the conclusion of Hooper’s 13th year leading the boys program. Before that, he served as head girls’ coach for seven seasons, with seven additional years as a girls’ assistant coach prior to that.
“Jason Hooper is exactly the type of person you want leading young student-athletes,” AD Ryan Stuart said. “Over the years, he has consistently led his basketball programs with class, integrity, honesty, and an emphasis on character development. He demonstrates a very high level of genuine care and respect for his players, is well-respected by colleagues and coaching peers, and will be extremely difficult to replace. I appreciate everything he has done for the basketball programs at Salina South High School, and personally consider him a true friend, coaching mentor, role model, and most importantly a great family man.”
The full statement issued by Coach Hooper can be found below.
After 27 years pacing the sidelines for both the boys' and girls' basketball programs at Salina South, I have made the difficult decision to step down as the head boys' basketball coach at South High.
I have loved every second of those 27 years and am going to miss it very much! Being in the gym is all I have known since the time I could walk, and being a ball coach is not just a job; it's been my life.
I have loved every player like my own, and have always looked at these teams as my second family. I have been extremely blessed to have a wife, daughter, and step-son who have allowed me to have a second family and have supported me, and our teams every step of the way. There have been many tears shed in our household the past 24 hours, because we all know how lucky we have been to work with so many great people along the way.
I would like to say thank you to all my assistant coaches and their families for choosing to take this journey with me. No one can do this job alone, and I have been blessed to have many great assistants along the way.
The administration and support staff at South has also been amazing. It takes a village to have a great program, and I have been blessed to have help and support every step of the way.
Last, but not least, I would like to thank the players and parents that have called me Coach. I can't thank you enough for making the last 27 years some of the most rewarding years of my life.
It was not always easy, but that's what makes it great. The big wins, the heartbreaking defeats, and all that falls in the middle. That's what makes this the best job in the world. The chance to band together and commit to something bigger than yourself. To learn how to navigate the agony of defeat with a group of people you consider family, and to celebrate the thrill of the victory. Those are the things I will miss the most.
You don't always get to choose the result, but you always get to choose how you respond. It's been a great ride, and I can't wait to watch this program continue to grow under the next "luckiest man alive." I am very appreciative of the time I had, and am filled with memories to last a lifetime.
Signing Off,
Coach Hooper