3 point shooting

[uneblinstu]

So, people are concerned about 3 point shooting. It's an admittedly small sample size only two games in. On the season, they're shooting .303. Last season, they shot .320. Gulp! I think we'll see that number rise as the season progresses, however. In looking at the numbers through two games, I submit a few observations:

• Copeland is 0-4 from 3. His freshman year he hit at a .389 rate. His sophomore year, his playing time increased by 40%, and his rate from 3 dropped to .272. He hasn't hit a 3 in a regulation game in 20 months. Once the rust works itself out, I expect him to hit somewhere between those two numbers. He's on pace to play about 800 minutes this year, also right in between his freshman and sophomore seasons.
• Jack shot nearly an identical percentage in both seasons he's been at NU. It's reasonable to expect him to shoot about .340. So far, he's 1-3. Basically right on pace. He's also streaky.
• Glynn is an interesting case to me. His sophomore season he took a huge jump from beyond the arc, jumping from .267 to .397. He was a top 20 3 point shooter in the Big Ten, the only Husker in the top 20. I don't know that it's reasonable to expect him to shoot at that high a rate. His shot is still a little flat, but his overall field goal percentage is up from last year, so I do expect his .250 rate to increase as the season progresses.
• Palmer has forced some outside shots, but he's shown an ability to hit from outside. It's enough for teams to need to respect it, but he's not an elite shooter. If he can hit at 1 out of every 3, that should be sufficient.
• Thomas Allen has come in and done what we were told he could do. He's hitting at the second best rate on the team so far at .400. That's what some expected of him, but he has yet to face a high quality opponent. Kid looks like a natural, however. If he can maintain something near that number, he'll be a huge piece to the puzzle this year.
• The biggest surprise so far has been Isaiah Roby. He came in last year with some expectation that he'd be able to hit from the perimeter. He struggled big time last year, only hitting 4 over the course of the whole season. Two games in, he's already halfway there. He's not gonna hit at that .667 rate he's at so far, but if he can settle in at about .333, that would be a big boost.

 

I don't know if they'll be a top 100 3 point shooting team this year, but if Glynn and Allen can hit close to 40% and the rest are at about a 32-35% rate, that should be a good spot for NU to settle into. They'll need to shoot it better than they have so far, but I'd contend history suggests they will.

[Handy Johnson]

If Nana really is a gunner in the Ray Richardson/T. Buchanan vain maybe that's what gets him on the floor and earns him primo minutes.

[Ashfan]

Copeland still seems to be shooting a flat shot. I have to wonder whether that is back and rusty legs and will improve over time. One thing I found interesting last night was that he shot one 3 after a whistle, shot it with a nice arc and it swished. Then on the next possession he shot from almost the same spot during play, the shot was flat and it bounced off the front rim. Oh, and I think I'm going to use the name "Rusty Legs" as the name of my next country-rock band.

[Huskerpapa]

Honestly, the shots look pretty good right now, the difference in them going in or falling off is miniscule.  I am hoping that when they are really needed, the stroke and results will be there.

[Norm Peterson]

 

[royalfan]

I have often wondered if we practice enough at Pinnacle to give us an edge.  Something to be said about shooting a lot in a building you are playing games at.  This is a definite negative IMO to the new arena.  

[AuroranHusker]

56 minutes ago, royalfan said:

I have often wondered if we practice enough at Pinnacle to give us an edge.  Something to be said about shooting a lot in a building you are playing games at.  This is a definite negative IMO to the new arena.  

 

Bingo.

[hhcmatt]

11 hours ago, royalfan said:

I have often wondered if we practice enough at Pinnacle to give us an edge.  Something to be said about shooting a lot in a building you are playing games at.  This is a definite negative IMO to the new arena.  

 

Miles mentioned something about that. I know they tried to make the practice facility the exact same but obviously you can't replicate the size of the PBA

[AuroranHusker]

5 hours ago, hhcdimes said:

 

Miles mentioned something about that. I know they tried to make the practice facility the exact same but obviously you can't replicate the size of the PBA

 

Miles talked about free throw shooting (recently), but the emphasis I think would *really* be on 'shooting at PBA.'

Edited November 15, 2017 by AuroranHusker

[hal9000]

11 hours ago, royalfan said:

I have often wondered if we practice enough at Pinnacle to give us an edge.  Something to be said about shooting a lot in a building you are playing games at.  This is a definite negative IMO to the new arena.  

It's still a head scratcher though, as to how other teams can come in here and seemingly shoot out of their minds. 

[Handy Johnson]

I think it's common sense to practice where you play on a frequent basis, then I always think back on the "Hoosiers" scene when Gene Hackman has the boys measure the height of the rim before the State Tournament. It always comes down to what Coach Miles once said,"I don't need more shooters, I need more makers".

Edited November 16, 2017 by Handy Johnson

[uneblinstu]

After starting the season shooting 27% from 3, over the past four games, the Huskers have picked the pace from deep and have shot an even 40% over the past four games. Over the last two games, NU shot 45% from 3.

 

Will need that trend to continue, especially as the schedule stiffens. Vs. LBSU, they went 7/16. I think that's a pretty good range to settle into. The four previous games they'd attempted more than 20 shots from beyond the arc.

 

A really pleasant surprise has been Evan Taylor who is 5/7 on the season.

Edited November 28, 2017 by uneblinstu

[hhcmatt]

3 minutes ago, uneblinstu said:

A really pleasant surprise has been Evan Taylor who is 5/7 on the season.

 

He seems to be doing one of those "Senior who realizes that I should try and only shoot from 3 when I have a good look at the basket" jobs. 

Mo Watson did that last year for Creighton. He'd never shot higher than 33.7% and hadn't shot less than 64 3s. Senior year he went 15-31 (48.4%)

[Norm Peterson]

What is truly surprising to me is that Anton Gill, coming off the bench and playing in 2 fewer games than the rest of the team, has nearly twice the number of made three pointers as our next two most prolific shooters.  Anton has made 14 already; Glynn and James have 8 each.

[uneblinstu]

A guy who came in known in part for his shooting hitting shots isn't as surprising to me as a guy who had shown to be a pretty poor shooter hitting at a high rate. Having them both hitting shots is hopefully a harbinger of things to come.

[hskr4life]

I have 5 guys that I whole heartedly trust shooting the 3 this year.

 

Glynn, Palmer, Gill, Allen, Taylor.

 

Copeland could probably be thrown in there to make it 6 with the way he has been playing.  It’s nice not having to force a three and an actually take open looks because we have so many that can shoot the 3.

[uneblinstu]

I wouldn't put Taylor in that category yet. He's being left wide open, and when he is, he's showing he can make it,  which is great, but he's not a guy I want taking a guarded 3 or trying to create his own shot from deep.

[Norm Peterson]

2 minutes ago, uneblinstu said:

A guy who came in known in part for his shooting hitting shots isn't as surprising to me as a guy who had shown to be a pretty poor shooter hitting at a high rate. Having them both hitting shots is hopefully a harbinger of things to come.

 

Anton Gill was a career 25.8% 3-point shooter going into this season.

 

His best year before this was last year when he went 8 for 29.

 

This year so far, he's 14 for 25.

 

He'd never previously hit more that 11 3-pointers in a season.

[uneblinstu]

On the flip side, Jack's 1/7 from 3. A large reason why his minutes have gone down. Maybe the only reason. If he's not hitting from deep, he doesn't have a ton else to contribute right now.

[uneblinstu]

1 minute ago, Norm Peterson said:

 

Anton Gill was a career 25.8% 3-point shooter going into this season.

 

His best year before this was last year when he went 8 for 29.

 

This year so far, he's 14 for 25.

 

He'd never previously hit more that 11 3-pointers in a season.

I know that. But when he came in, that was part of his rep, that he'd be able to hit from deep.

[hhcmatt]

I think Gill is going to be streaky with the 3. The thing that really stood out to me was that spinning drive he had to the basket that I think was towards the end of the first half vs Long Beach. He still missed some bunnies in the lane that game but he looks physically better driving to the hoop than at any point in his Nebraska career.

[atskooc]

10 minutes ago, uneblinstu said:

I know that. But when he came in, that was part of his rep, that he'd be able to hit from deep.

I don't remember that being his rep at all.

 

His highlight reel was almost entirely of him getting to the rack and dunking on people.

[uneblinstu]

1 minute ago, atskooc said:

I don't remember that being his rep at all.

 

His highlight reel was almost entirely of him getting to the rack and dunking on people.

I could be remembering it wrong (wouldn't be the first time...) but I thought part of what he was expected to contribute last year was the ability to hit from 3 along with his ability to get to the rim. Either way, him hitting from 3 is a welcome addition.

[dustystehl]

26 minutes ago, uneblinstu said:

On the flip side, Jack's 1/7 from 3. A large reason why his minutes have gone down. Maybe the only reason. If he's not hitting from deep, he doesn't have a ton else to contribute right now.

 

I don't think that's the only reason. He's struggles defensively. When he's in the game, I'd like to just see him camped out in the corner. No team would leave him unguarded. They couldn't. Maybe simplifying his role could benefit his 3-point shooting?

[Norm Peterson]

1 hour ago, uneblinstu said:

A guy who came in known in part for his shooting hitting shots isn't as surprising to me as a guy who had shown to be a pretty poor shooter hitting at a high rate. Having them both hitting shots is hopefully a harbinger of things to come.

 

Evan Taylor was a career 30.3% 3-point shooter at the D1 level coming into this season.

 

His freshman year at Samford, he shot 14 of 41 for 34.1%.