This College Basketball PLayer That ONLY Shoots Threes Really Knows How To 'Max' Out On His Potential

When coach walks out of the gym.

A photo posted by Basketball Coverage (@basketballcoverage) on Feb 16, 2016 at 7:10am PST

BSO- Oakland senior guard Max Hooper doesn’t seem real- did my 2K player come to life? As the shot chart shows, he has taken 206 shots this season- all from beyond on the arc. Even more impressive is the 46% shooting percentage, very good for an incredibly predictable player. Words from Hooper via ESPN:

“I believe I’m the best shooter in the country. I’m shocked that I haven’t taken a 2, that I haven’t stepped on the line or had an open layup, but it’s just playing my game,” Hooper said. “My job on this team is to take a lot of 3s and make a lot of 3s. I don’t want it to be recognized as a novelty act. I want to be recognized because I’m shooting one of the highest percentages in the country.”

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I have to be honest with you here, I love this kid. Not just because he has quite possibly the greatest basketball name in history, or because of how rare it is to find a player that only takes three pointers, but because he a go-getter. A selfish go-getter, but a go-getter nonetheless. This kid is maximizing his potential and I don't just mean by only taking shots that are worth the most amount of points. I am talking about his long term, career potential. 

I don't buy this "I don't want to be recognized as a novelty act" bullshit for a second. If he didn't want to be recognized as a novelty act then he would throw in a pump fake every once and awhile. There's simply no way in hell a team hasn't given him a wide open look at a mid-range jumper by running him off the 3-point line. It's completely out of the realm of possibility that his primary defender has never overextended on a closeout and given him a golden opportunity to take it to the basket. It's simply naive to think that he hasn't jeopardized his team's chances of winning just to keep his streak in tact. The only reason he hasn't taken a two point field goal is because he doesn't want to take a two point field goal, and I, for one, don't blame him. How else is he supposed to get scouts to take notice? We are talking about a lanky white boy that plays for Oakland University. His physical appearance doesn't exactly scream "must watch television", especially since his team is rarely -if ever- on television. A spot-up shooter that does most of his damage from long range? Those are a dime-a-dozen in Power 5 conferences. But a deadly accurate shooter that hasn't taken a single traditional field goal all year? Now that is an attention grabber. Fuck being pretty good at multiple things. That's not going to pay the bills. When your ceiling is that of a a fringe NBA player then it is better to be great at one thing. Max Hooper isn't versatile in the slightest, but to fill the "white boy that comes off the bench and stands by himself at the 3-point line waiting for his teammates to create an open shot for him" role (AKA 'The Steve Novak') he doesn't have to be. 

​Be that novelty Max. Let no defense on your completely underwhelming schedule take that statistic away from you no matter how hard they try. Don't listen to your coach or worry about your teammates. Just keep shooting from at least 20 feet out, because this shot chart is likely the only thing that has any chance of getting you to the next level.