The shocking death of former East Chapel Hill basketball star Chris Hobbs has led to former teammates, ranging from Durham to Miami, to raise money for his family.

Brian FitzGerald, Aaron Uhlenberg and Eric Henderson were all classmates of Chris Hobbs. Uhlenberg befriended Hobbs in middle school when Chris moved from Chapel Hill from Fayetteville. It was a changing time in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro district in the mid-90s. East Chapel Hill High School was about to open in 1996. Chapel Hill High had gone through lean years, as did the local middle schools. But with Hobbs’ arrival, Uhlenberg knew things were about to change.

“I just remember him getting on the school bus (when he was 13),” said Uhlenberg. “Everybody was in awe about this guy. The basketball players all said `Yes!’ because we had had pretty tough time in basketball the last couple of years. So everybody was excited to have this guy potentially come out and play basketball with us, which he eventually did.”

No one could have imagined that East Chapel Hill would capture the 1997 3-A state championship in the school’s first year…but that’s what happened. No one could have imagined that East would win it after a 3-pointer at the buzzer from guard Andy Jones in the Smith Center…but that’s what happened. At time moved on after high school, the players drifted apart. Hobbs ended up playing at Clemson and eventually overseas, but FitzGerald says they all kept in touch.

“We were so close with a lot of the guys,” said FitzGerald. “Chris was one of the key members. Myself, Paul Kindom, Brad Wolley, Andy Jones who hit that shot to win it. A lot of the other guys, as well. We all stayed in touch and we were all close friends.”

Now, they’re spread out, with Uhlenburg living in Miami and FitzGerald still in Chapel Hill. When news broke Monday of Hobbs death at the age of 33, the trio organized the memorial fund on www.youcaring.com. When the campaign was launched on Wednesday morning, the goal was to raise $10,000. Turns out, that was too modest, according to Uhlenberg.

“We started sharing the campaign on Facebook on Wednesday morning,” said Uhlenburg. “It spread from there. By the end of Wednesday night, we had $8,000.”

The goal has now been raised to $15,000. The fundraiser was supposed to end on Sunday, but the plans for the funeral haven’t been finalized. FitzGerald says that may lead to the deadline being extended.

“Of course, the goal is to maximize the ability to help the Hobbs’ family,” said FitzGerald. “Whatever works best for the family is what we’re trying to do.”

To contribute to the fundraiser, click here:

An official cause of Hobbs’ death hasn’t been released.

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