Three-pointer plays pivotal role in m. hoops' offense

On the most basic level, basketball is the same game it was fifty years ago, and probably not too far from the game envisioned by Dr. James Naismith over 100 years ago. You bounce a ball and try to put it through a round hoop despite your opponents' best wishes. In that way, the game of basketball has not changed at all. But that may be where the similarities stop.

Players today are stronger and faster. The advent of the shot clock completely revolutionized the way coaches run their offense and the strategy of the game.

And then there was the addition of the three-point line.

When originally introduced to the college game in the 1986-87 season, few could have imagined how big of an impact one extra point would have on the way teams think about scoring. Any who still doubt its impact need look no further than Princeton.

In five games this season, the Tigers have attempted 218 field goals. Of those, 107 have been from beyond the arc. Two of the team's starters and three others who see significant time have taken more than half of their shots from downtown. Senior guard Ed Persia has thrown up 27 of his 36 attempts from long range and sophomore guard Scott Greenman has a similar ratio of 20 of 27.

To compare, Penn has taken 106 threes out of 255 total field-goal attempts. Yale has attempted just 98 out of 360.

"At the current distance, it is not a difficult shot," head coach John Thompson '88 said. "Making those shots is essential to what we do, and we recruit guys who can make them."

The current distance of a college three-pointer is 19 feet, nine inches. But the NCAA Rules Committee, of which Thompson is a member, is considering extending that line to the international standard of 20'6". For reference, the NBA distance is 22'0".

"I'm in favor of the change in the distance," Thompson said. "Nine inches is only a half step back, but it will discourage bad shooters from shooting as much. In that way, we could actually see a rise in shooting percentage."

"I don't think moving the line would have much of an effect for most of us," Greenman added. "A good shooter from 19'9" will be a good shooter from 20'6"."

Extinction of the midrange

With the extra reward for stepping back a few feet, the midrange pull-up jumpshot has become a rare sight in college basketball. Highlight reels capture long-range bombs and high-flying dunks. The bank shot that Boston Celtic Hall-of-Famer Sam Jones made famous has not survived the test of time.

For Princeton, however, the reliance on the three has more to do with its particular offensive philosophy than with the new 21st century basketball culture. The Tigers have run an offense for forty years that relies heavily on continuous inside-outside ball movement. They look for cutters, post-players and layups. If those avenues are cut off, it means that the defense has collapsed and someone must be open on the perimeter.

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"Our offense is made for shooters," Greenman said. "We feel that an open three is a high-percentage shot. Everyone on our team can shoot, and we take advantage of that. If the defense decides to key in on one of our shooters, that is when we cut backdoor."

Princeton's abnormally high number of threes this year also has a lot to do with its early season opponents. The Tigers generally see a lot of man-to-man defense, which is more conducive to working the interior and finding cutters. A zone defense, which Princeton has seen a lot of in its first five non-conference games, cuts off those passing lanes more effectively, but often leaves shooters open on the outside.

"It will be easier to look at our three-point shooting after five or 10 more games when we see more man coverage," Thompson said. "That being said, I don't mind the outside shots. They just have to come in the flow of the offense. They have to be in rhythm."

So this year the Tigers are willing to put their fate in the hands of their shooters. The team has one of the best shooting centers in the nation in junior Judson Wallace, and straight-up marksmen in Persia and Greenman.

But in a league where two losses can destroy a team's postseason hopes, Princeton will not be able to afford an off night. That leaves a very small margin for error and requires constant composure, a lot to demand from a young squad — half of whom have never even seen the inside of the Palestra at Penn.