Rooks' death 'a horrible shock' to the Wildcat family
To Matt Othick, he lost more than a teammate when Sean Rooks passed away on Tuesday afternoon. He lost a family member.
"Wookie (Rook's nickname) was like a brother to me," said Othick in a text message to me Tuesday. "No one I have ever met loved life as much as him. He was a great teammate and player but an even better human being. I am heartbroken."
That was the case for the thousands of Arizona basketball fans when they found out early Tuesday evening that Rooks had passed. Many hoped it wasn't true given Rooks was just 46 years old and seemingly healthy. Word eventually came out that Rooks suffered a heart attack just a few hours removed from interviewing with the New York Knicks after a couple of years with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Understandably, Lute Olson, Rooks' college coach when the center was at UA from 1988 to 1992, was saddened by the news.
"This is just a horrible shock," Olson said via Arizona's sports communication office. "Sean was such a wonderful young man with a great disposition. During his time at Arizona, he was always one of the most pleasant individuals to be around. His positivity was something I’ll always remember. This is a tough day and a terrible loss for Arizona basketball. We send our condolences to Sean’s family and friends.”
Former teammate and friend Matt Muehlebach said it was "a sad day." He remembered when Rooks and Mark Georgeson entered UA they were called: "USS Rooks, Georgeson" because they were big 7-foot "aircraft carriers."
"Sean was the best pure post player in Arizona history," Muehlebach said. "Prince of a guy. He had an infectious positive personality … off the charts funny. He was caring and loved my all his teammates. He was so proud of his kids."
"I can't believe Sean gone! Tons of fun and really took care of me my freshman yr! I'm forever grateful for what u taught me! #RIP," said former Arizona teammate Damon Stoudamire in a tweet.
He's 15th on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,497 points. At the time he finished his eligibility, he was sixth all-time in scoring. He led UA in scoring (16.3) and field goal percentage (56.0) in 1992.
He was clearly one of the good guys from the program, often showing that ear-to-ear smile and carefree demeanor. He was also part of UA's Gumbys, the bench players who helped cheer on their teammates (Steve Kerr, Sean Elliott, Tom Tolbert, Anthony Cook and Craig McMillan) to the school's first Final Four in 1988.
"I'm heartbroken to hear about my former teammate and friend passing away," Tolbert tweeted. "Always had a smile and a good energy."
Rooks played 12 seasons in the NBA after Dallas picked him in the second round of the 1992 NBA draft. He averaged 6.2 points in 749 games with seven teams. He found a new passion for basketball through coaching and had been on a number of coaching staffs in recent years. He spent the last two years working as an assistant with Philadelphia.
“The passing of Sean Rooks marks another sad day for Arizona Athletics," Arizona athletic director Greg Byrne said in a statement Tuesday. "Sean is one of the great Wildcats, both as a player and person, and he will be missed by many. We want to send our thoughts and prayers to his family and friends.”