In the last seven years, Max Hooper has played at five different schools, staying at none of them longer than two seasons. He’s attended Mater Dei (California) High School, Brewster (New Hampshire) Academy, St. John’s, Harvard and now Oakland.

The only place that he’s remained is behind the 3-point arc. Shooting has been his meal ticket for as long as he can remember.

This year, he’s stayed exclusively behind the arc. Of his 214 shots, none have been 2-pointers. He can remember having the ball for fleeting moments inside the arc, but always dished off to a teammate.

Not once has he cut to the basket and found himself open, stepped on the line while shooting or even been on a fast break.

“I’m shocked at the way it’s worked itself out,” Hooper said. “… It’s not intentional, it’s really just the way it’s worked out.”

Hooper’s constant recruitment put him in touch with Travis Bader, Oakland’s last sharpshooter. Bader played all four seasons at Oakland (19-9, 11-4 Horizon), drilling 504 3-pointers and setting the NCAA record for 3s in a career. Hooper hasn’t quite played up to Bader’s level yet, but he’s filled a role that’s constantly open at Oakland.

The constant pain of moving around the East Coast just to sit on benches in New York City and Boston has culminated with a 98-of-214 (45.8 percent) explosion from 3.

“I’m labeled when I walk out onto the court, the other team knows, they’re yelling, ‘Shooter, shooter, shooter,’” Hooper said. “I think everyone in the gym knows my reputation when I walk out on the court. I welcome those sorts of things.”

From a young age, Hooper had a fascination with shooting. He watched NBA shooters like Ray Allen and Reggie Miller. When he was in elementary school, Hooper would heave shots and they’d somehow find a way into the net.

He’s never had formal training and in elementary school he’d just put his whole body into a shot. But his stroke progressed over time by imitation.

“I didn’t have the prettiest form,” Hooper said, “but I could throw the ball up there with all my might and it would find a way to go in. It was a natural sort of talent at a young age.”

That talent is valued by the Golden Grizzlies, who always have a spot for a shooter they can run off screens and create plays for. The other colleges he’s been at, his skills haven’t been welcomed as much.

Harvard head coach Tommy Amaker made it clear once Hooper reached campus that he wouldn’t get playing time, his mother, Laura Hooper, said. St. John’s head coach Steve Lavin wooed Hooper when the guard transferred, but he played just nine minutes per game in his only season with the Red Storm. Playing a minimal role at each school was the hardest thing Hooper’s had to do, his mother said.

“It’s grueling sitting on the bench,” Laura Hooper said. “… I think it’s fueled him.”

All the while, Oakland head coach Greg Kampe pitched him during each recruitment — during high school, after prep school and after he left each college. Hooper even became friends with Bader, who he got to know better each recruitment period. After Hooper decided to transfer following the 2013-14 season, Kampe told him he wanted the sharpshooter, but for the first time he wouldn’t actively recruit him.

This time, Hooper bought in. Last season, Hooper shot 38 percent from 3, and even in the last two seasons, Laura Hooper said Kampe has sometimes sat Hooper for other players playing better. But he’s gotten the most playing time in any college season and is making the most of it.

For so long in his career he sat on the bench, but at Oakland his 3-point skills have earned him a place on the floor. And a place in the spotlight, too.

“It’s really just me playing the way I play and just being extremely aggressive to hunt my 3s and hunt down shots in transition,” Hooper said. “A lot of players are taught to run for layups, I run for the 3-point line because that’s an easy shot for me.”

Published on February 16, 2016 at 11:26 pm

Contact Chris: cjlibona@syr.edu | @ChrisLibonati