May 22, 2007

Andrew Skwara
Rivals.com College Basketball Staff Writer

The List: Andrew Skwara breaks down the 10 greatest 3-point shooters

With the NCAA on the verge of pushing the 3-point line back a foot starting in the 2008-09 season, we posed a question to our panel of experts: Who are the greatest college 3-point shooters of all time?

After all, the new distance (20 feet, 9 inches) will usher in a new era of records. It will make it more difficult to compare the next great wave of shooters to their predecessors. Better take a look back now while the current range is still fresh in our minds.

However, debating the all-time best from 19-9 creates some tough questions.

Anyone who played before all schools began using the uniform distance in 1986-87 was automatically eliminated. But what about guys who played only a year or two with the 3-point line? Should they count? We decided to vote only for players who had the 3-point line for the majority of their college careers.

That eliminated some great shooters, particularly a pair of Steves. Steve Alford and Steve Kerr were both seniors by the time the 3-point line came into existence. Alford shot 52 percent (107-of-202) from beyond the arc that season, and Kerr hit a remarkable 57 percent (114-of-199) of his attempts.

The remaining candidates produced their own set of issues.

Some took an inordinate amount of shots - many off-balance and well beyond the line - sacrificing accuracy in the process. Some had better shooting percentages, but took more conservative shots. Others had one great season and lacked consistency. Others lacked a great season but were remarkably consistent.

Former Duke star J.J. Redick (2002-06) took twice as many 3s as Bennett. He holds the NCAA records for most 3-pointers attempted (1,126) and made (457). Redick was one of just three players to receive a vote on every ballot, joining Tennessee's Chris Lofton and former Georgia Tech star Dennis Scott.

Bennett admits that safer shot selection gave him an advantage over other elite shooters, especially those like Redick and Lofton who emerged in recent years.

"Maybe my record wouldn't have stood up if I had shot more," Bennett said. "I was either open or in rhythm when I took most of my shots. I was in a system that created great looks. Now, there is such a fascination with the 3-pointer that a lot more guys are taking them off the dribble or fading away."

Regardless of what era they came from, Bennett says all great shooters have the same two components: extraordinary hand-eye coordination and a willingness to work on their craft.

Scott, the only player in the top 10 who left school early to enter the NBA Draft, believes they also share a common mental bond.

"All shooters might not admit it, but we all have a bit of an ego," Scott said. "I took pride in being able to hit shots from the farthest distance with ease.

"You have to have unconditional confidence. If you are 0-for-10 in a game with five seconds left and the coach looks at you, you can't say don't come to me. You have to want the ball."

Scott certainly did. No one may have pulled the trigger at a greater rate from beyond the arc. The 6-foot-8 sharpshooter took an average of 8.4 3-pointers a game in college, more than Redick's 8.1. In fact, Scott - who skipped his senior season - was on pace to finish with 467 3-pointers, which would have given him 10 more than Redick.

Lofton, the only active player to make the top 10, heads into his senior year within striking distance of Redick's record. The 6-2 shooting guard with seemingly unlimited range has hit 313 3-pointers, leaving him 144 short of the mark.

Only three players have ever made more in a single season. Butler's Darrin Fitzgerald hit an NCAA-record 158 in 1986-1987 and UNLV's Freddie Banks had 152 that same season. Oklahoma State's Randy Rutherford sunk 146 in 1994-95. Out of that trio, Banks was the only one to receive votes, but that's not to say one superb season didn't sway our panel.

Former Arizona point guard Salim Stoudamire is most remembered for shooting better than 50 percent from 3-point land (120-of-238) his senior year in 2004-05.

? 3 Week: Carr opened era
? 3 Week: Three's company
? 3 Week: All-time leaders
? Hiring Report Card
? Updated Preseason Top 25

NBA DRAFT COVERAGE ? Before they were stars
? Jackson Draft Diary

Several tremendous shooters with arguably more impressive résumés didn't make the cut.

That includes former Syracuse star Gerry McNamara - who is one of only six players to hit 400 3-pointers - and former Florida guard Lee Humphrey, who holds the record for most 3-pointers (47) in NCAA Tournament history.

McNamara nailed a number of clutch 3-pointers, but his career 35.3 percent 3-point shooting percentage was the worst among any player to receive a vote.

Humphrey shot 44 percent, but had a lower degree of difficulty. The 6-2 shooting guard rarely created his own shot and much of his success was credited to playing with three future first-round draft picks, Corey Brewer, Joakim Noah and Al Horford.

The List: Andrew Skwara breaks down the 10 greatest 3-point shooters