Sports

St. John’s Lopez was megastar

Whether he’s sitting at a Midtown café or courtside watching his alma mater Rice win a sixth straight New York Archdiocesan title, Felipe Lopez doesn’t draw much attention.

That wasn’t always the case.

At Rice 17 years ago, Lopez was the nation’s top-ranked player as a senior, an icon to the Dominican people before he was old enough to drive.

When the Raiders opened on the road against George Washington, the GW students packed the gym to cheer — for Lopez, who scored 49 points off the bench. His battles against St. Raymond’s and fellow McDonald’s All-American Kareem Reid were legendary.

On the cover of Sports Illustrated before ever playing a game for St. John’s, Lopez was supposed to be the messiah who brought the Johnnies back to their previous glory.

He scoffs at critics who claim he was a bust, quickly pointing out he’s third on the school’s all-time scoring list behind Chris Mullin and Malik Sealy and second in career 3-pointers.

“It’s weird to hear my college career was over-hyped or all that. If you look at the numbers, shoot if you can’t put two and two together, you either don’t know how to count or you’re just very ignorant,” he said. “It just so happened as a team we were never really able to put something good together that helped us get over the hump.”

His NBA career lasted just five seasons, but Lopez is still very much involved in the game, serving as an ambassador for NBA Cares, the league’s charitable arm. He also has the Felipe Lopez Foundation, which gives athletic, academic and social opportunities to children in Washington Heights and has established Iconic32, a branding company that helps “athletes understand the power or value they have,” Lopez said.

“My career is still flourishing,” said Lopez, a proud St. John’s alum, excited about the Johnnies’ turnaround under coach Steve Lavin. “This is the first time I’ve gone back to St. John’s since graduating,” Lopez said. “Speaking to those guys, I really felt the energy.”

It has been nearly two decades since Lopez was the most ballyhooed high school basketball player in the country, but he’s still making a difference.

“Felipe Lopez is the story of America, the story of Ellis Island, the immigrant who comes over and makes good,” said Tom Konchalski, editor and publisher of High School Basketball Illustrated. “He’s probably the most charismatic figure in high school basketball during my lifetime.”

dbutler@nypost.com