St. John’s Player Profile: Max Hooper
By Joe Nardone
Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Name: Max Hooper
Position: Guard-Forward
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 202-pounds
Twitter Handle: @maxthehooper
2012 Season Stats: He played as many minutes of college basketball last season as I did.
Prognostication: Max Hooper is quickly becoming a St. John’s myth, man-beast type thing. His shooting exploits have not only taken over the Internet, but they have earned him an assumed spot as a regular in the Red Storm rotation.
Hooper also — like a few other Johnnies — excelled in the Red Storm’s Euro tour this offseason.
Strengths: Shooting, shooting and shooting. This kid is being compared to Luke Hancock quite a bit. And trust me, considering Red Storm needs, this is a very good thing. His ability to shoot the rock will help spread the floor and prevent teams from going zone-happy on the Red Storm.
Hooper’s work ethic has also been praised by Steve Lavin. This could mean — despite his athletic shortcomings — that he might end up being a better defender than expected.
Weaknesses: A lack of athleticism will hurt his overall game. Max Hooper will also struggle to rebound, handle the rock and having the ability to create his own shot.
Two out of those three problems won’t be an issue thanks to all the play makers around him. In fact, his “problem” of being a spot-up shooter will likely be more of a positive than a negative for the Johnnies this season.
Personal Note: If everything I have read, seen on YouTube and dreamed about is true, Hooper is going to be a super-duper fan favorite. Until then, though, I reserve my right to not be too emotionally invested in him as a player.
Random, but neat Max Hooper Factoid: Hooper is a transfer from Harvard. I think that means he is smart, but I don’t know — books, man.
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Joseph is the editor of Storm The Paint. Follow him on the mean streets of Twitter @JosephNardone