NCAA Basketball: 16 best shooters entering 2020-21 season
Group 2: On The Radar
Marcus Zegarowski – Creighton
Zegarowski’s decision to ultimately return to Creighton was not too surprising, but his decision to not test NBA draft waters surprised some people. Along with his shooting ability, Zegarowski excelled as a passer as well. He’s the only returning player that met the following criteria last season: >= 5 assists per game, >= 50 made threes, AND >= 40.0% 3-point percentage.
Mitch Ballock – Creighton
Ballock did much more than shoot for Creighton last season. At only 6-5, he stepped up as a rebounder in the Blue Jays’ small-ball lineups and played a ton for a squad that was 10th-lowest nationally in bench minutes. He’s the only returning player that averaged at least 5.0 rebounds, 35.9 minutes AND made at least 55 threes.
Noah Locke – Florida
Locke shot 47.6% from three in conference play, and his 1.3 fouls per 40 minutes ranked 9th-lowest in the nation. With 160 made threes through his sophomore season, he has a real chance to break the school’s career record. It’s currently held by Kenny Boynton (2009-13), who made 333.
Corey Kispert – Gonzaga
Kispert has improved his 3-point percentage each year at Gonzaga (35.1%, 37.4%, 43.8%). He’s really good, but this is all I got for him. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
John Petty – Alabama
Petty was one of ten players (and one of two on the list…guess who’s the other) to make at least ten threes in a game last season. He hit 10-13 on December 18th at Samford (39 points total). Given that he shot a scorching 44.0% from downtown last season, there’s a strong argument to be made he belongs in Group 1. (And for those playing at home, ‘Dru Kuxhausen’ is the answer. He made 10-18 threes on December 18th against Paul Quinn College. Yea, I haven’t heard of the school either)
Spencer Jones – Stanford
Jones only averaged 8.8 points his freshman season, but he was arguably the best shooter for a Stanford offense that could take a major leap in 2020-21. One could also argue he was the best freshmen shooter in the nation. Only two first-year players made at least 2.5 threes per game and hit 43.1%: Jones and Kuxhausen.