These stats, chart are needed for coaches to learn about 3-point shooting issues

Joe McLaughlin, print sports editor at the BDN, wrote a very interesting article in the High School Basketball Outlook special section published on Thursday, Dec. 14. It was about the excitement of the 3-point shot.

It brought back some memories and also made me think it is time to add two more stats to the game box scores and team season totals.

Joe’s article brought back some memories when he pointed out how great a high school perimeter shooter his Stearns High School teammate, 6-foot-5 Mike Baron, was.

Another was 6-3 Bruce Withington at Bangor High School. Both got little chance to show their real perimeter shooting skills because they played 10 years before the 3-point shot came into high school during the 1987-1988 season.

Both were before their time as perimeter shooters and were named to the 1977 Bangor Daily News All-Maine first team as well as being named to the BDN Class A All-Tournament Team.

We played Baron, (Gary) Brewster, McLaughlin and Co. under coach Paul Bessey during the regular season. We beat them at Bangor 54-47 and lost at Millinocket 41-40 at Wentworth Gym.

Stearns went on to finish first in the Heal Point standings and Bangor finished seventh. Bangor upset No. 2 Mt. Blue in the quarterfinals and Stearns beat Fort Kent in its quarterfinal game.

Stearns defeated Brewer in the semifinals and Stearns got by third seed Nokomis in the Eastern Maine final after Nokomis edged Bangor by one point in the semifinals.

Wow, what memories!

Now on to two statistics that should be added to high school and college box scores and team stats because of the use, and overuse, of the 3-point shot.

Each year there seems to be more emphasis and use or abuse of the 3. With that, the following stats would add to the interest of fans, parents, players and coaches.

First is the percentage of field-goal attempts that are 3-point attempts. This is calculated by dividing the total number of field-goal attempts by the number of 3-point attempts.

For example, a team takes 60 field goals, of which 24 were 3-pointers, and made eight 3’s. The 8-for-24 for 33 percent 3-point shooting. Dividing the total field-goal tries (60) by the 24 3-point attempts means 40 percent of their shots were 3-pointers.

The overall percentage (24-for-60) also is 40 percent.

The other stat that should be added, and appears in college box scores, is two-point percentage, which is achieved by subtracting the Subtracting the 3-point attempts (24) from the total field-goal attempts (60) and 3-pointers made (8) from the total baskets made (24). The result 36 divided by 16, which comes out to 45 percent.

I suggest that coaches use the following chart to see how their teams got the 3-point shots and how many they made:

1. Inside-outside (ball inside pass to block and then outside to open shooter).
2. Dribble penetration, kick-out pass to open shooter.
3. Ball reversal with perimeter passes to open shooter.
4. Shooter coming off lane screens.
5. Shooter comes off a screen on his defender away from the ball.
6. Shooter dribbles off screen to ball
7 Player going one-on-one shoots off dribble..
8. Ball inside 3-point line, pass back out to open 3-point shooter

9. Perimeter pass to shooter

10. Transition perimeter pass or off dribble

11. Loop after screen to ball off fake screen role

Just put player’s number who takes a 3 beside the appropriate column above and circle the number if 3 is made.

This chart would be valuable to coaches, showing them how they’re getting the 3’s and how each player is taking/making 3’s.