The glory. The reward. The quest for something more. The 3-pointer is the most tantalizing opportunity for the college basketball player. It is also the biggest headache and pet peeve for this college basketball fan.
I will not argue the place of the 3 in the NBA, for it is not nearly as big a problem in the pros as it is in college. In college, teams shoot 3's at a ridiculous pace. And most of the time, they are completely unnecessary.
In college, there is a 35-second shot clock. The team has 35 seconds to work the ball around court and look for the best possible shot. Lay-ups are definite possibilities (look at the Princeton offense). Mid-range jumpers? Run a screen-and-roll or pick-and-pop, and those are open all day. Run a 2-man game with a big man in the post, you're either gonna get a good look from the block, an open cutter through the paint, or another open jumper. These are easy things for players to look for. Except they don't. They look for the first, semi-open shot. Quite often with 18-22 seconds left on the clock. The most frustrating thing about this is that a open 3 can be had at any given time. Literally, you can shoot an open 3 ANY TIME YOU WANT!!! Why not spend a few more seconds running through the offense a little more, making a couple extra passes, looking for a better shot. If it's not there with 6-8 seconds left, fine, go for the deep look. But for cryin' out loud, a mid-range shot is a much better option, and a layup is a near-lock. Teams live and die by the 3-pointer. Why not just live by everything that's closer? Never heard of a team suffering because they attempted too many layups. Besides, what if you make the shot and get fouled? Now you got 3 points a much easier way. Just saying.
No comments:
Post a Comment