Houghton, Bitzer prepare for 3-point contest
Britni Houghton knew she was going to face Michigan’s best 3-point shooters Saturday at Michigan’s 3-Point Shootout at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
But one of the members of that group includes the country’s best long-range shooter.
Houghton, a CMU senior forward, will compete against University of Detroit senior guard Brigid Mulroy and three other women as a part of Michigan’s Slam Dunk Championship and 3-Point Shootout at 7 p.m.
CMU men’s basketball senior guard Jordan Bitzer also will participate, facing five players in the men’s competition. The winners of the respective shootouts then go head-to-head to determine the state’s best overall long-range shooter. The groups include a mix of collegiate and high school players.
“I’ve never been in a 3-point contest before in my life, so it’s going to be a new experience,” Houghton said. “... It’s going to be a fun way to end my career in a Central Michigan jersey.”
Houghton shot 17-of-48 (35.4 percent) from behind the 3-point arc this past season. Mulroy, who won the women’s 3-point competition last week at the Final Four, led the nation in 3-point shooting percentage, making 50.5 percent (92-of-182).
After making just 1-of-5 shots from long range her freshman season, Houghton started taking more shots and hit a career-high 25 in 2008-09.
“For the longest time, I definitely did not consider myself a 3-point shooter because, throughout my entire career, even in high school, I played (power forward),” she said.
PREPARATION
Bitzer, who has been considered a 3-point threat since he was a freshman, has the highest percentage — 40.4 percent (72-of-179) — of the three collegiate players participating.
He goes up against Mid-American Conference rival and fellow senior Carlos Medlock from Eastern Michigan, who made 75-of-224 (33.5 percent) 3-pointers this past season, and Oakland’s Johnathon Jones, who hit 41-of-126 (32.5 percent).
“I always watch the pros do it and then the colleges at Final Four do it too. It’s just an honor to be selected for this and to represent Central Michigan and, hopefully, I can do a good job of that.”
Bitzer’s 196 3-pointers rank third all-time at CMU. He ranked third in the MAC this season in total made behind teammate Robbie Harman (105) and Medlock.
He has played at The Palace once before, when CMU lost against Robert Morris 73-60 on Dec. 20, 2008. He said the cavernous shooting environment will not pose problems.
“Playing in big venues like the Palace and Quicken Loans (Arena in Cleveland) and other arenas, there’s nothing really new,” Bitzer said. “I’m sure the surroundings won’t wow me at all.”
