Basketball Camps

Entering this season, many coaches and NCAA officials were concerned that the perimeter game had come to dominate play, resulting in less intense games that relied too heavily upon 3-point shots. As a result, the NCAA moved the 3-point line back a foot to encourage post play down low. Based upon early statistics, the move is having some impact upon field goal percentages, although the impact upon game strategies is still far from clear.

Many leading high school and AAU coaches believed that elite players didn’t get the proper experience at the collegiate level due to the over-reliance upon three point shots. Even when the NBA instituted its requirement that players have at least one year experience beyond high school to enter the draft, this new minimum became the new mandatory, with players such as Michael Beasley playing a single year and others, such as Brandon Jennings, opting for a year of play in the European professional leagues.

The next three point line is still not quite to NBA Distance, although it is now beyond standard international (Olympic) lines. So far, teams are attempting roughly 18.5 shots per game, down from 19 last year; at the same time, 3 point percentages are down from last year’s 35% to just above 34% for this season. Some teams, however, such as Notre Dame, have continued to shoot beyond 40% from behind the arc, resulting in little shift in their strategies. Since most college players are well conditioned enough to hit longer shots, the main change is in players getting accustomed to the line (they must resist the temptation to look down and identify the line) and being more careful with shot selection.

Many basketball camps for guards are focusing on the full range of options available to players, including setting up post plays, screens, drives and reseting for better position. As a result, the transition from high school to college will likely be streamlined for many players.