Yea, so its my first post here, even though I used to frequent this site a few years ago. but anyways, I got a persuasive speech due next week, and I couldnt really think of anything so i just decided make it about basketball. my topic is basically why the 3-point line in college basketball should be pushed back, because its ruining the game and turning the midrange jumper into a lost art and what not. personally, i dont really care, but its just something for school. so if any of you guys could help me by referring me to any articles, sources, arguments, or ur own opinions on the matter, it would help a lot.
I agree that it should be pushed back. I don't have sources or articles, but basically it's just too close as it stands. A team shooting percentage of 50% is considered good, right? At a rate of 50% and 2 points per shot, a good shooting team will average 1 point per shot. For three pointers, in order to average 1 point per shot, one must only make 33% of his attempts. So a 33% three-point percentage is the equivalent of a 50% field goal percentage. Salim Stoudamire averaged 6.375 attempts per game, an absurdly high number. He made 52.5% of his shots. That's 1.575 points per shot, which translates to the output of a player shooting roughly 79% on two-point field goals. In fact, with a minimum of 20 field goals made, the top 25 three point shooters (JJ Redick not among them) in college basketball were all shooting at least 47.5% from long distance. To match that output in points per shot, taking only two point field goals, a player must shoot 71%. The #1 field goal percentage in the league last season was only about 66%, which is well short of what he would have to do to match Stoudamire's equivalency of 79%. That would require (and pardon all the numbers and percentages) a whopping 20% increase of his current shooting percentage (66 * 1.2 = 79). And of course, his shot is also less effective than the shot of the #25 three point shooter. The player with the #25 field goal percentage sports a 60.5% rate, which is well short of the 71% clip of the #25 three point shooter. Three pointers already have an advantage in that they put points on the board quickly, they do not need to also be mere chip shots.
