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.
College Courtside 