STrib: Gophers three-point shooting expected to get a boost after struggling mightily last season

[BleedGopher]

per Marcus:

If there is one thing new Gophers men's basketball coach Ben Johnson prides himself on, it is definitely shooting the basketball.

The former Gophers guard led the team in three-point and free throw percentage and shot 39.2% from beyond the arc in his U career from 2002-04.

One of the areas where the Gophers are most likely to improve is three-point shooting. It probably couldn't get any worse.

Last season, Minnesota set a program record in futility by shooting 28.4% from three-point range. The worst single-season mark in school history ranked 339th out of 347 Division I teams in 2020-21, including last among high-major programs.

"I think Ben Johnson did a great job in the transfer portal of grabbing shooters," Gophers guard Payton Willis said this fall. "Basically, everybody on our team can shoot."

Gophers three-point shooting expected to get a boost after struggling mightily last season

The Gophers had the worst three-point shooting team in program history, but newcomers could give them a lift.

www.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[SanDiegoGopherFan]

Lets see how we do against other power 5 programs. Thats the litmus test.

 

[GopherPete]

I know it's a different coach, but I feel like I've heard this same topic leading up to the last couple seasons as well. We shall see.

 

[GopherBlood777]

I know it's a different coach, but I feel like I've heard this same topic leading up to the last couple seasons as well. We shall see.

Yeah, Pitino basically said this 2 seasons ago. I guess Willis was on the team that season so his opinion is probably as valuable as any.

 

[BleedGopher]

I know it's a different coach, but I feel like I've heard this same topic leading up to the last couple seasons as well. We shall see.

This year we mean it though.

Go Gophers!!

 

[Gopherfan84]

Yeah, Pitino basically said this 2 seasons ago. I guess Willis was on the team that season so his opinion is probably as valuable as any.

Significantly different offensive philosophies will lead to better 3 point shooting percentages I think. We will have more 3's in rhythm with guys moving and passing the ball more. I am thinking our FT attempts will go down quite a bit and our scoring as it seems like we will lengthen possessions on offense (and hopefully on defense too).

 

[fair]

It would honestly be impressive if we managed to do worse than that abysmal shooting last year.

 

[TNGophfan]

Not sure we could be worse but time will tell.

 

[60's Guy]

As long as Ben doesn't say...I tell em not to shoot 3's but they do it anyway...we'll be alright.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

Well, when you consider that last year was literally the worst season in Gopher history for 3-point shooting - and as the article said, the Gophers ranked 339th out of 347 team in the country -

by the sheer law of averages, the odds are good that this year's team will be better. It's almost impossible to get worse.

It's not just who is shooting - it's where they're shooting from - and sometimes, it's about the pass they received putting them in a bad spot. I was reading an article about the Wolves. Their coach talked about a study they did on 3-point shooting. they charted every 3-point shot for the season and looked at where the passes came from to try and figure out the best passing angles to help improve 3-point shooting percentages.

you can't just come down court and hoist up shots. you have to have a plan and get shots that come organically out of the offense.

 

[MennoSota]

As long as Ben doesn't say...I tell em not to shoot 3's but they do it anyway...we'll be alright.

Reminds me of a Don Cheney story. He had a kid who kept taking 3s and bricking them. On timeout he says, "Dammit, stop shooting 3s." Kid responds: "But coach, I'm open." Cheney's response: "No sh!t you're open!"
The kid just couldn't comprehend that the other team wanted him to shoot because he wasn't going to make the shot.
It seems last years team was like that kid. "But coach, I'm open."
"No sh!t you're open!"

 

[Otis]

Reminds me of a Don Cheney story. He had a kid who kept taking 3s and bricking them. On timeout he says, "Dammit, stop shooting 3s." Kid responds: "But coach, I'm open." Cheney's response: "No sh!t you're open!"
The kid just couldn't comprehend that the other team wanted him to shoot because he wasn't going to make the shot.
It seems last years team was like that kid. "But coach, I'm open."
"No sh!t you're open!"

I said the same thing to a teammate. Except i said, “did you ever think there’s a reason your open?”

 

[Full Speed Ahead]

It'll be a record-breaking season, at least in three-point attempts...