Sports

Harvard transfer brings 3’s company to St. John’s

As Louisville’s Luke Hancock drained 3-pointer after 3-pointer in the Final Four, as Cardinals fans showered him with chants of “Luuuke! Luuuke!” Max Hooper was thinking, “I know this feeling.”

He knew it at Valley Christian High School in San Jose, Calif., when he converted 11 3-pointers in a 19-minute span and fans would chant, “Hooop! Hooop!”

He knew it in his senior season at legendary Mater Dei, where Hooper set the school record by converting 49.5 percent of his 3s, and fans would chant, “Hooop! Hooop!”

“When he gets hot, he gets hot,’’ Hooper’s father Chip told The Post.

St. John’s needs Hooper, a 6-foot-6 sophomore transfer from Harvard who redshirted last season, to get hot next season if its going to make a NCAA Tournament run.

The Johnnies return a dynamic, athletic squad which could garner preseason Top 25 recognition. But they have one glaring weakness: They were the nation’s worst 3-point-shooting team from a major conference last season.

The Johnnies made 27.1 percent of their 3s last season, ranking 343rd out of 347 Division I teams. Their 3.6 treys per game ranked 338th.

“Max is a great kid with terrific work ethic and he’s an outstanding shooter,’’ Harvard coach Tommy Amaker said. “I don’t know St. John’s roster, but I’m sure they did their homework. If they need a shooter to spread the court, that would be a great role for Max.’’

Hooper, 21, played in just two games for a veteran 2011-12 Harvard squad that went 26-5 and scared the daylights out of Vanderbilt in a 79-70 NCAA Tournament loss.

For Hooper — whose first exposure to basketball came as a 5-year-old on a family ski trip in Utah, where he watched the Jazz play the Bulls in the NBA Finals — not playing was torture.

“If you ask Max’s elementary school teachers about him, they’ll say, ‘Oh, you mean the little boy that always brought a basketball to school,’ ” his mother Laura said. “We certainly understood what was at stake. It’s Harvard. But he was so unhappy.’’

Hooper considered three options: St. John’s, St. Mary’s and Iowa State. Red Storm coach Steve Lavin knew about Hooper. Assistant coach Tony Chiles had spotted him at an AAU tournament, and the Johnnies had an in.

Knowing he had to get bigger, stronger and face tougher competition, Hooper opted for a year of prep school. He, St. John’s forward JaKarr Sampson and Michigan star Mitch McGary were roommates at Brewster Academy in 2010-11.

“He’s the best shooter I’ve ever seen,’’ Sampson said. “I can say that without a doubt. When he misses [in practice] we’re surprised.’’

The Johnnies were on the verge of being a surprise NCAA Tournament team last season until star guard D’Angelo Harrison was suspended for the final four games of the regular season for conduct detrimental to the team.

If he doesn’t return, the Red Storm’s need for a 3-point threat increases from significant to dire. Hooper could be the Red Storm’s Hancock, which is exactly

what he thought watching the Final Four.

“His 3s changed the game, really shifted momentum,’’ Hooper said. “I think I have a game-changing quality that I can definitely bring to the team.’’

The question still screams: How can a player that couldn’t find minutes at Harvard, be a

St. John’s savior next season?

“I think Max is a late bloomer who needed a couple of seasons to develop as a college player,’’ said former Arizona star Miles Simon, an individual skills specialist and one of Hooper’s mentors. “When you first see him, he’s not overly athletic. He’s not going to jump out at you. But he has a special gift to shoot the ball. You have to guard him four, five feet behind the 3-point line. That’s an easy shot for him. And he has developed into a better athlete.’’

Hooper has amazed his teammates with his shooting and dedication to being a great shooter. He does not leave Taffner Fieldhouse until he has made 500 shots a day from beyond the arc. He has hit 118 treys, including

31 in a row in a five-minute span with a manager rebounding for him.

Hooper told Lavin in their first phone call that his goal was to leave St. John’s as the greatest 3-point shooter in school history. He can foresee St. John’s fans chanting, “Hooop! Hooop!”

“That’s happened everywhere I’ve played so far,’’ Hooper said.

lenn.robbins@nypost.com