About Us

In 1998 a nearly improbable occurrence created a unique bond between Bruce Brown (current athletic director at Lake High School), Chuck Cooper (former men’s basketball coach at the College of Wooster), Hal Smith (former men’s basketball coach and athletic director at Malone University) and Steve Loy (then men’s basketball coach at Walsh University). All four men found out they had been diagnosed with the same rare liver disease, primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC).

A shared love of basketball and a desire to defeat a common opponent resulted in the creation of The Hoops 4 Healing Foundation. The mission of Hoops 4 Healing is to increase public awareness of the desperate need for organ donation and to raise money in the fight against PSC.

The primary vehicle to accomplish this mission is The Hoops 4 Healing Annual Basketball Classic, which has been held every year since 1999 in Canton, Ohio. The Classic includes both men’s and women’s high school and college basketball games, featuring local teams against great competition from around the country.

The Classic allows Hoops 4 Healing the opportunity to not only showcase area basketball talent and raise money to support research, but also provide the opportunity to spread the message of organ donation through sharing the stories of our founders.

Hal Smith received a live donor liver transplant in April of 2000. After a reoccurrence of PSC, Hal also received a traditional liver transplant in 2008. Chuck Cooper had a traditional liver transplant in 1999. Bruce Brown is presently asymptomatic and continues to monitor the disease. Unfortunately, Steve Loy lost his battle against liver cancer in 2004. Steve’s death saddened us greatly and strengthened our resolve.

History

Year	Teams Involved	Site	Notes
1999	Colleges: Malone, Walsh, Tri-State (IN) Taylor (IN) High Schools: Lake, Canton Central Catholic Anderson (IN), Stow	Malone	Inaugural year; American Liver Foundation co-sponsors event; Steve Loy, Hal Smith and Bruce Brown create the event upon discovery of PSC disease among all three men.
2000	Colleges: Malone, Walsh, Daemen (NY), Spring Arbor (MI) High Schools: Lake, Canton Central Catholic Canton McKinley, DeMatha (MD) Berlin Hiland, Wooster	Walsh Memorial FH	College games started on Friday night and also Saturday. High School games played at Canton Memorial Field House. Legendary HS coach, Morgan Wooten (also a liver transplant patient) brings his nationally-ranked DeMatha Stags to H4H. Wooster A.D., Chuck Cooper (also a PSCer liver transplant patient) joins the Foundation.
2001	Colleges: Malone, Walsh, Montreat (NC), St. Francis (IN) High Schools: Lake, Canton Central Catholic, Minerva, Berlin Hiland, Canton Timken, Wooster, Massillon, Canton McKinley	Malone Memorial FH	American Liver Foundation CEO, Alan Brownstein, visits the H4H games and Breakfast High School match-ups expand to four games.
2002	Colleges: Malone, Walsh, Grace (IN), Wright State (OH) High Schools: Lake, Canton Central Catholic, Wooster, Canton McKinley, Mansfield Sr. Poland, Warren Harding Austintown Fitch	Walsh Memorial FH	McKinley vs. Mansfield match-up highlights the high school games.
2003	Colleges: Malone, Walsh, Houghton (NY) Geneva (NY) High Schools: Lake, Akron Buchtel, Massillon Jackson, Massillon Washington, West Branch, Wooster	Malone Lake HS	High school venue moves to the new Lake High School facility. Steve Loy is diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma in fall of 2003.
2004	Colleges: Malone, Walsh, Notre Dame (OH) St. Vincent (PA) High Schools: Lake, Wooster, Archbishop Hoban East Canton, Sandy Valley, GlenOak	Walsh Lake HS	With passing of Steve Loy, the "Steve Loy Memorial Award" is given to each Player-of- the-Game. East Canton and Sandy Valley become the first girls high school teams to play in a H4H event.
2005	High Schools: Lake, GlenOak, Canfield, Lakeland (IN), Anderson (IN) Mishawauka Penn (IN)	Anderson HS	The event takes a one-year "Road Trip" to to "heartland of Hoops" as all three contests are played in The "Wigwam" of Anderson HS... the second-largest high school gym in the nation.
2006	Colleges: Malone, Walsh, Daemen (NY) Virginia Intermont High Schools: Lake, GlenOak, Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, Stow	Walsh Lake HS	Future Ohio State and NBA standout, Kosta Koufos leads the GlenOak team to an OHSAA Final Four appearance later this season. Two other teams, Akron St.Vincent-St. Mary and Stow, make Final Four within the next two years
2007	Colleges: Malone, Walsh, Point Park (PA) University of Northern Ohio High Schools: Lake (boys and girls), Walsh Jesuit (boys and girls)	Malone Lake HS	The first "Boy-Girl" high school doubleheader is held between Lake and Walsh Jesuit as part of high school "H4H".
2008	Colleges: Malone, Walsh, Lake Erie College Concordia (MI), College of Wooster Case Western Reserve High Schools: Lake (boys and girls), Wooster (boys and girls), Wadsworth, Medina, Perrysburg, Massillon Perry, Poland, GlenOak, Bedford Chanel	Malone College of Wooster GlenOak	The first "women's-only" event branches out to the College of Wooster with a triple-header. The new GlenOak HS is utilized as the site for the boys high school event.
2009	High Schools: Lake (boys and girls), Wooster, Medina, Northwestern Lake HS Orrville, Canfield, GlenOak, Louisville Walsh Jesuit, Poland	Wooster HS Lake HS	The colleges take a sabbatical as both Wooster and Lake High Schools are sites for this year's H4H weekends.
2010	High Schools: Lake (boys and girls), Orrville Medina Buckeye, Norwayne, Westerville Central, Brecksville, Medina Highland, Wooster, Manchester, Lake Center Christian, Louisville, Massillon Perry, Olmsted Falls	Wooster HS Lake HS	Another back-to-back weekend of high school classic action. This year's girls' event is a quad. A record total of 14 high school teams participate in the 2010 H4H.
2011	Colleges: Malone, Walsh, Ohio Christian College, OSU-Lima High Schools: Lake (boys and girls), Orrville Northwestern, Smithville, Medina Buckeye, Wooster, Dover, Streetsboro, Akron Garfield, Shaker Heights, Manchester	Walsh Wooster HS	The colleges return with their own weekend of action. Walsh also plays host to the high school boys event this year in a triple-header following a Walsh men's/women's double-header.