But what about the mid-range jump shot? Players in this era misfire with regularity from that range. Where are the shooters?
Back in the day there was Rick Mount, a sharpshooting guard at Purdue from 1967-70. Mount averaged over 30 points in his college career and still holds the Mackey Arena scoring record of 61 points, set in a 1970 game against Big Ten champion Iowa.
At the time, there was no three-point line.
"The night I got 61 against Iowa at Mackey my senior year, coaches went back and charted that game on tape to see how many threes I would've had," Mount said. "I would've had 13. I would've had 74 points instead of 61.
"My range was unlimited."
But Mount made his living with the mid-range shot, a point he makes with young players at his shooting camps.
"I want them to shoot it from 15 feet on in and work on their form," he said.
Shooters who impress Mount are Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups and LeBron James. Collegiately, he's a fan of Valparaiso's Robbie Hummel.
Mount, 63, resides in his hometown of Lebanon, Ind., and he keeps busy in his free time.
"Saturday, I scraped the ice off my driveway and shot a couple hundred jumpers," he said.
Thanks to Kevin.
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