Former Bolingbrook Basketball Player Dies Playing Pickup Game

Chad Cooke (Credit: Frederich-Jones/Overman-Jones funeral homes)

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A former Bolingbrook High School basketball player died suddenly Tuesday, Dec. 23, while playing basketball with his brother and friends.

Chad Cooke, 20, was playing a pickup game Tuesday night at a local gym when he died, according to a Bugle Newspapers report. Details surrounding the cause of death have not been reported.

READ: See Chad Cooke’s Obituary for More Details

Cooke is survived by his parents, Jim and Lori Cooke, and his siblings, Jay, David, Catherine and Savanna.

Visitation will be from 2 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 27, at Community Christian Church (Yellow Box Church), 1635 Emerson Lane, in Naperville, and a celebration of Chad’s life will follow at 3 p.m. at the church. The interment will be private.

Cooke graduated from Bolingbrook in 2012 and was a junior at the College of Charleston in South Carolina, majoring in business administration, according to his obituary on the Frederich-Jones/Overman-Jones funeral homes website.

READ: Check Out the Full Bugle Newspapers Story for More Details

Cooke had played two years on Charleston’s basketball team as a walk-on guard, according to a college press release. He also was considering a life in the ministry, his obituary stated.

“Chad was a great young man from a terrific family,” Joe Hull, Charleston’s athletics director, stated in the release. “He died while playing basketball at home with friends. Our thoughts and prayers are with Chad, his family, his many friends and our team.”

While living in Charleston, Cooke was actively involved with the community through Charleston Hope—a nonprofit organization created by his girlfriend, Emily Hoisington—and its Adopt a Classroom program, which distributes Christmas gifts for underprivileged children in the Charleston area, according to his obituary.

Bolingbrook played its opening game of the McDipper Tournament on Friday, defeating University High, 59-50.

“Some of our guys were there, and some didn’t know about it yet,” Bolingbrook coach Rob Brost told Bugle Newspapers. “We had practice [Wednesday] morning, and obviously we didn’t practice, we just sat and talked together and cried together.”

“We are a family and when something like this happens, it has an impact on all of us,” Brost said in the article.

Bolingbrook plays Chicago Leo at 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 27.

Chad Cooke Funeral Information

• Visitation: Saturday, December 27th 2:00-3:00 PM Community Christian Church (Yellow Box Church), 1635 Emerson Lane, Naperville, IL 60540. Celebration of Chad’s Life to follow at 3:00 PM at Church. Interment is private.
• Donations: In lieu of flowers, the family is asking memorials be sent to Charleston Hope, PO Box 21315, Charleston, SC 29413, www.charlestonhope.com 843-608-0185.