A foot can make all the difference in sports.
In long jump, a foot can separate first place from last. In football, it can result in either a new set of downs for the home team, or a game-altering change of possession. Twelve inches one way or the other can turn a potential game-winning grand slam into just a foul ball.
But how much does a foot mean in college basketball, specifically when discussing the proposed plan to move the 3-point line back 12 inches for the 2008-09 season?
To coach Tim O'Shea (and this columnist), not much at all.
If you're a decent shooter
an extra 12 inches isn't going to make a difference said O'Shea, who graduated from Boston College two years before the 3-point line was officially adopted by the NCAA in 1986. I don't think it will make a big difference.
Which makes sense. Any player who's been programmed to hoist a shot whenever they have a little space and their foot is behind the magical line won't be deterred by a mere foot. Heck, if it weren't for the women's line remaining the same, I'd bet the majority wouldn't even know about the change.
Take me with a grain of salt, though, because my point of view may be skewed. When I asked point guard Bubba Walther, whose 3-point range ends right around Dayton on the Ohio map stencil at center court in The Convo, about the potential change. He responded, Oh they're moving back the 3-point line?
Now, let's give Walther the benefit of the doubt. Considering that he won't be around for the potential change, and even if he were going to be here, would a foot really deter the Mid-American Conference's best from beyond the arc?
But because it will be on everyone's mind when it's put in place, moving back the 3-point line could result in an overall improvement in the quality of play.
I think it will create more space on the floor
O'Shea said. Too many guys probably take the shot right now
so it might lead to better shot selection.
Better shot selection is certainly needed. Division I teams launched a 3-point attempt once every 2.9 shot attempts last season. Whatever happened to the mid-range jumper?
Sure, watching a team come back from 20 points by launching trifecta after trifecta is darn exciting, but does that prove how good a team is? Any team can catch fire and knock off a team they have no business being in the same gym with on any given day.
And even when a team shoots with consistent proficiency from beyond the arc, it doesn't necessarily lead to a winning season. Virginia Military Institute made 442 3-pointers last season, which was far and away the most in Division I. The Keydets finished 14-19.
The results of moving back the 3-point line will be whatever the players and coaches make of it. Those that go about their usual business probably won't notice any difference. Those coaches that urge their players to take less 3s could be left wondering why they hadn't done so years ago. So all and all, to the casual fan, there will probably be no noticeable difference in the style of play.
Now, if they decided to move back the free-throw line G?
' Andrew Gribble is a junior journalism major and sports senior writer for The Post. Send him an e-mail at ag358604@ohiou.edu.
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