CORVALLIS — Jonathon Hoover hasn’t had an easy life. But he would never lead you to believe so.

Hoover, a 20-year-old with cerebral palsy, is a constant presence on the Oregon State University campus, often found in company with members of the OSU men’s basketball team.

Hoover, a native of Santa Barbara, Calif., moved to Corvallis last summer and enrolled at Linn-Benton Community College in the fall. Because of his longtime friendship with sophomore Beaver guard Roberto Nelson, it didn’t take long for Hoover to find a crowd of friends.

Nelson, who went to junior high and high school with Hoover, initially introduced Hoover to several teammates. It wasn’t long before Hoover could be found at Gill Coliseum, taking in practices and helping out when possible.

Walking his first feat

The fact that Hoover can do that is just short of a miracle.

In addition to the cerebral palsy, Hoover was born without Achilles tendons. He said it is a related condition. Doctors said he would never walk.

At age 2, Hoover underwent surgery to implant the tendons, but his prospects of walking still weren’t great.

“I heard it every day; no one thought I’d ever be able to walk,” Hoover said.

But, Hoover said, he drew inspiration from that kind of naysaying. “It was very motivating.”

After countless hours of therapy, Hoover was walking with the help of a walker when he was 5. He took his first step on his own when he was 6.

But it wasn’t smooth sailing after that. Hoover had four more surgeries after that, the last when he was a sixth-grader. At the end of the school year, for four straight years, doctors would operate, and Hoover would spend his summer vacation in a wheelchair in a cast up to his waist.

The first thing he’d do when he was back on his feet, he said, was pick up a basketball.

“Basketball was my first dream,” said Hoover. “I was one of those kids who always thought I could be in the NBA. I always made sure I was around the game.”

Acceptance has been the toughest part of having a disability, particularly in his junior high days.

“Kids wouldn’t want me to play basketball, they didn’t want me on their team, just by looking at me,” he recalled.

But Hoover didn’t let that bother him. He continued working hard — finishing physical therapy in eighth grade — and continued surrounding himself with people he could trust all while maintaining the positive attitude that’s made him such a popular man in Corvallis.

“Probably the happiest person I know,” said Nelson, who lives with Hoover. “He’s always making my day better; one of those people you always want to be around.”

Hoover, who will become one of the basketball team’s managers should he enroll at Oregon State this fall, is often found at Dixon Recreation Center, working out each morning.

The workouts are crucial for Hoover. He does squats, calf raises and other leg-strengthening exercises.

Some days can be a struggle.

“People are always saying they’re tired or their knees hurt, but they’re going to wake up and be the same,” Hoover said. “I don’t know what I’m waking up to each day; I don’t know what’s going to be wrong with me or how I’m going to feel.”

Special Olympics team

Hoover often goes back to Dixon each evening to watch his basketball brethren play pick-up.

The roles will switch one night a week this winter, as Hoover has signed up to play in a Special Olympics basketball league.

Hoover said the team has been urging him to sign up, and he expects quite the crowd for games.

Nelson knows what kind of game his friend possesses: The two routinely engage in shooting competitions.

“Man, sometimes he’ll make me laugh, and then I’ll miss and he’ll run around the court celebrating,” Nelson said. “Got to do what you’ve got to do, I guess.”

But Nelson has learned not to be surprised by anything Hoover accomplishes.

“There’s no limit; he can do anything,” Nelson said. “People didn’t believe he’d be able to do half the things he can do.”