The 10 Greatest College 3 Point Shots

This week Eamonn Brennan of ESPN revealed his “Top 3 Point Shots in NCAA History.” I thought he made a good list, but I wasn’t totally crazy about the decision to include some player’s career achievements on a “top shots” list. The career choices took away some thunder from what could have been 10 amazing individual shots–which there have been plenty of in the 25 years since the 3 point shot was introduced to college basketball. My countdown of the greatest college 3 pointers below is similar to Brennan’s, but I of course added individual great shots where Brennan may have included a career. My list is ranked not only on significance of the shot (Was it a game-winner? Was it just a regular season contest?) but also considers the difficulty of the shot itself and, in at least one case, some homerism towards my favorite team. Deal with it. It’s a silly list. So without further ado I give you my take on the 10 greatest 3 point shots of the past 25 years.

10. Randolph Childress vs North Carolina: It took me a couple of minutes of brainstorming to remember this 3 ball from Wake Forest guard Randolph Childress during the 1995 ACC Tournament Championship against North Carolina. But once you remember it–even if you forget it for 120 seconds–it’s truly one of the great 3′s in the game’s history. He not only completely breaks the ankles of North Carolina guard Jeff McInnis on a tremendous crossover, but then breaks his own concentration while setting his feet to shoot just so he can taunt McInnis with a ridiculing gesture. As the announcer said this is a moment of playground basketball in a heated college basketball game. You can’t miss that after the taunt and he didn’t–he drained it. Beautiful trash talk in a huge contest on a grand stage.

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9. Tayshaun Prince vs North Carolina: “Tayshaun, hittin it DEEEP!!” Of a billion basketball games I’ve witnessed I’ve never seen a player before or since start a game with 5 straight 3 pointers on five consecutive posessions. It’s the 5th and final 3 that makes this list. As a close friend once said “nobody ever hits their heat check.” Tayshaun did.

8. Jeff Capel vs North Carolina: I must have something against North Carolina. Not really, maybe they just play some really entertaining games. This is a clutch shot in what is THE rivalry of our favorite sport. But honestly, I had to bump it down the list one spot when I realized this is the best version of this shot on youtube. Come on Duke fans, really?

7. Drew Nicholas vs UNC Wilmington: This is just a tremendous individual effort with the game on the line. It seems unfair to keep this one all the way down here at #7, but I’ve got some doozies up ahead. This is probably the one shot from here to my top choice where I could make a claim that the players and announcer celebration almost top the shot itself. Maybe that’s why it settles in a little lower than you might think. Just another reason here why we all love March Madness!

6. Chandler Parsons vs North Carolina State: I saw this live and nearly crapped my pants. These are the shots that NEVER fall, even if it comes oh so close. Just the stunning reaction of the NC State crowd says it all. The perfect long range prayer answered here.

5. Byron Eaton vs Texas: As far as I know only Isaiah Rider has hit a shot this ridiculous. But this shot was just a microcosm of what 49ways will tell you was one of the absolute best basketball games ever played. It’s the crowd bedlam when the shot falls that gives you goosebumps. A truly remarkable, lucky shot in a 3 overtime classic.

4. Mario Chalmers vs Memphis: I like this shot a lot. And a shot at the level of game-tying in the National Championship game with just seconds remaining deserves great respect. But that’s where I will part ways with Eamonn Brennan. Whereas Brennan found the sequence of events that led to Chalmer’s shot poetic and cosmic, I see a point guard almost lose the basketball before the pitch to Chalmers. And while I understand the shot defender Derrick Rose is freakishly athletic–as Brennan points out–he’s also understandably not willing to foul a 3 point shot, so he therefore limits his athleticism on purpose. This is a great shot that I was glued to on that championship night, but I’ve got three other 3 pointers that left a greater lasting impression for their unlikeliness, courage and execution. First, however, soak in the glory that some consider the greatest three pointer in the 3 point era.

3. James Forrest vs Southern California: I was a 13 year old living in Atlanta when Georgia Tech forward James Forrest swished this miracle buzzer beater. These were the days when the Tech Yellow Jackets were THE show in town. I love this shot not only because it was a hometown school coming through in the clutch, but because of everything else that happened in this moment. You have a freshman forward that took a whopping 3 three pointers on the year ending up with the ball in a desperation situation. You have a charming, genuine celebration that sears itself into your memory (how can you forget Forrest raising his fist up in the air with that perfect smile while carrying his teammates on his back?). Finally, you have a memorable play-by-play reaction, one that usually recognizes Al McGuire’s “HOLY MACKERAL” call, but I actually prefer the immediate and lasting scream by the other guy. It’s like he just saw a man dunk from the halfcourt line. Great shot at a great time in life, and a great ambassador for why the NCAA Tournament is so great!

2. Ali Farokhmanesh vs Kansas: The ultimate ballsy shot. We’re talking about some serious gonadal development here. It takes some serious guts to throw conventional wisdom out the window. Instead of running time off the clock, Farokhmanesh took Kansas and the nation by surprise and jacked up an uncontested, but unusual, three ball considering the time and place of the game. I will always look back on this shot with total admiration. When you’re in the tournament you’re in it to win it. And that’s the iron confidence Farokhmanesh played with at the end of this game.

1. Bryce Drew vs Mississippi: I bet you know exactly where you were when Drew hit this shot. I was in my dorm room in college, with the door open, and when this shot fell you could hear about 5 different rooms on the hallway erupt in elation. I high-fived a dude I NEVER talked to in the hallway in celebration. This shot is still the poster child not only for cinderellas advancing in the Dance but for execution of last second plays when the game is on the line. It took a perfect baseball pass, then a perfect overhead pass, just to find an off balance Drew for a look. It’s a stunning finish when you consider the way the announcers had given up on them just before the miracle.

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