High School Stars Shooting From Deep To Prepare For College
Words. Jason Jordan
Ryan Harrow paces around the shiny hardwood floor of the Dean Dome, in Chapel Hill, N.C., just before he leads the Atlanta Celtics through a routine warm-up. He claps his hands, he bobs his head from side to side, he hops in one spot.
He’s loose.
He receives a pass and dribbles the ball out to the perimeter.
Just before he starts shooting, Harrow looks down at the 3-point line and thinks for a split second. Then he backs up a few steps and begins to fire away.
Swish… Swish… Swish…
“The new college 3-point line is further back now,” says Harrow, a rising senior point guard from Walton High (Ga.) who is committed to North Carolina State. “And I am always looking to prepare for the next level so I don’t shoot anywhere close to the high school 3-point line now.”
Across the country, high school hoopers are trying to get a jump on the transition from the high school arc (19′-9″) to the newly instituted college arc (20′-9″).
“On the (AAU) circuit, I think that guys back up a little more to show the coaches in the stands that they are ready for the new line,” says Reggie Bullock, a rising senior shooting guard who is rated the No. 13 prospect in HighSchoolHoop top 50. “It’s noticeable that players are shooting deeper now.”
Bethel High (Va.) boys basketball coach Craig Brehon has also noticed the new infatuation with the deeper ball. He won’t go as far as instilling a college 3-point shooting drill into his practices, but Brehon doesn’t mind his players pulling deeper treys either.
“As long as it’s a good shot,” says Brehon. “And sometimes it just is. But I don’t agree with a kid passing up an open high school line three just to shoot it deeper. That’s not a smart play.”
Kenny Boynton, a shooting guard who hails from Pompano Beach, Fla., typically doesn’t need to relocate to a deeper position during games. On the AAU circuit, Boynton became legendary for draining NBA 3s, and said that even in practice he shoots from the college 3-point line.
“My coach just came up to me one day and told me I needed to start practicing shooting deeper,” says Boynton, who will play for Florida next season. “I just think that it’s a smart thing to do. I was pretty comfortable with it anyway, but practicing all last year will only help me.”
Former Memphis guard Tyreke Evans, a virtual lock for this year’s NBA lottery, said that getting an early jump on adjusting to the new line will help immensely. As a high school senior, Evans built his reputation as an accurate shooter from long range, draining 48 percent of his 3s. But he struggled to find his range consistently with the new college 3-point line, making just 27 percent this past season at Memphis.
“It’s a tough adjustment even if you’re used to shooting deeper,” Evans told HighSchoolHoop. “But at the same time, if you have a scorer’s mentality, you just don’t even worry about it. The line is different, but your mentality never changes. That way of thinking will help.”
Bullock is one of the most deadly marksmen in the country. He made 45.6 percent of his treys for Kinston High (N.C.) last season. For him, it’s simple logic.
“Well, if I’m gonna continue to shoot a high percentage when I get to college, I have to get ready for the new 3-point line,” says Bullock, who is committed to North Carolina. “I try and shoot it even deeper than the college line. I feel pretty comfortable around the NBA range. My coach tells me all the time I’ve got to think like a college player because basically I’m not a high school player anymore. If they shoot from college range, than I have to do that too.”
Kansas State associate head coach Dalonte Hill doesn’t buy the notion that shooters need to back up on their 3s to prepare for the next level.
“Not at all,” says Hill. “Bottom line is that if a guy is a shooter then he’s gonna be able to make shots. Now he might not be great at it when he gets here, but he’ll have all summer to work on it. We’ve got the gun machine, the lines are down … You can tell a kid’s range. If they’re catching and shooting from anywhere, they’ll be fine.”
Toledo head coach Gene Cross said that he’s more likely to notice a player’s shooting mechanics than his range.
“I’m telling you it’s all about the release,” says Cross. “It’s all about breaking your wrist and spreading your fingers. Yes, range is good, but you’re more likely to shoot a higher percentage if your mechanics are right.”
In the end, the general consensus is long-range bomber or mid-range shooter, on a floater or a free throw, if the form is off the percentages are bound to fall.
“At a camp a kid will turn some heads by shooting it deep and accurate,” says Hill. “But what’s going to keep the coaches there is the kid’s form. Then you know that the kid is going to have success at the collegiate level.”
Wow you didn’t bash NC State in this article, thanks
[...] Before heading off to France to run the point for the 2K Sports All-American team, Walton High (Ga.) point guard Ryan Harrow, a rising senior, told us that the plan at North Carolina State was for Roswell Centennial High (Ga.) combo guard Lorenzo Brown, who stands 6-4, to run the point this season until Harrow got there the following year to move Brown over to shooting guard. “I’ve known Lorenzo forever,” Harrow told us in June. “He’ll get a lot of experience next year.” [...]
[...] Ryan Harrow will concede to this much: when hard work produces dominating results, extreme motivation can be hard to maintain. [...]