Men's basketball maintains confidence in 3-point shot
During the summer, senior guard Chris Fowler set the shot returner machine at two seconds.
The goal was to catch the ball, shoot a 3-pointer and be ready to catch the next ball being shot out from the machine in the next two seconds.
The Chippewas led the MAC in 3-point field goal percentage (37.3 percent) last season after making 322-of-864 from 3-point range. Simons led the Mid-American Conference in 2014-15, hitting 45.5 percent of 3-pointers.
Sophomore guard Josh Kozinski said Fowler couldn't handle the speed. Kozinski sets the machine to return balls every one second in order to speed his shooting release up.
“It’s not too bad,” Kozinski said. “It’s something you get used to — a lot of repetition and muscle memory. I’m trying to set goals for myself.”
Despite few lineup changes, the Central Michigan men’s basketball team has a different look from last season. Yet one factor remains constant: 3-point shooting.
The team is 16-13 (9-7 in the Mid-American Conference) and has missed its top two scorers, junior guard Braylon Rayson and senior guard Chris Fowler, for a combined eight games this year. CMU also lost senior forward Blake Hibbitts for the season due to a torn ACL and Austin Keel to graduation.
The Chippewas still rely on the long-range shot, and the “3MU” nickname can still be heard at CMU.
“You can make the case that if we shoot well behind the 3-point line, we are the best team in the conference,” said Head Coach Keno Davis.
CMU entered the weekend ranked sixth in the MAC in 3-point field goal percentage (36.1 percent) and second in 3-point field goals made (10.0 per game). Three Chippewas are in the top five in the conference for 3-pointers made with two games remaining.
Kozinski is second in the conference behind Akron’s Reggie McAdams in 3-point shooting with 2.7 threes per game. Kozinski made his 77th 3-pointer on Saturday in his 29th game. Rayson is third in the MAC, averaging 2.5 threes per game and senior forward John Simons is tied for fourth with 2.4 per contest.
READ MORE: COLUMN: Men's basketball proving it can become championship team
Perfecting the Three
The night before a game, Kozinski, Rayson, Simons and senior guard Austin Stewart compete in a 3-point shooting competition.
The players have to go around the arc and hit shots. The first team to hit every shot in every spot and make it back to the original spot first is the winner. Rayson and Kozinski take on Simons and Stewart.
Simons said Rayson and Kozinski have been winning frequently after he and Stewart picked up victories in earlier contests.
“It’s good (practice),” Simons said. “We still get our shots up and still get to have fun and be competitive with each other.”
Davis said he loves to see the competition and added the camaraderie was not instilled on day one.
“Our guys are really competitive in everything that they do,” Davis said. “Part of the reason we’ve had success is because we have competitors. It’s nice to see that kind of competition having developed over the four years I’ve been here. Hopefully it’s something that continues for the long-term benefit of the program.”
Simons, Kozinski lead charge
Simons said Kozinski has the quickest release he has ever seen. He added he has an advantage over Kozinski by being taller and more patient, but still tries to get his shot up as quick as he can.
“When you catch (the ball) in a game, you have to be able to shoot and let it go,” Simons said. “With the amount of shooters that we have and the success that we have from the 3-point line, you don’t get a whole lot of time to think about taking a shot. You’ve got to let it go right off the bat.”
Both players prefer to shoot the three off the pass instead of the dribble. Kozinski said he has a lot of confidence in his three.
“It’s just lock in and make it,” Kozinski said. “I put pressure on myself to make every one. If not, the next one’s going in.”
The team averages about 27.4 3-point attempts per game this season, slightly higher than the 27 attempts per game last season.
“I always think mine is going to go in, regardless,” Simons said. “If that one doesn’t go in, I’ll take the next one and think that one’s going to go in. Part of being a shooter is, you have to have a lot of confidence and you have to think that every shot is going in.”
Simons set the school record for most career threes in a Feb. 5 loss at Akron, passing former guard Robbie Harman. Simons has 251 career 3-pointers.
Davis said there are a multitude of Chippewas who can make other teams pay with the deep ball. With CMU in the midst of seven MAC teams within two games of each other with two games to play, Simons said 3-pointers are essential to the team’s success.
“When we get going and we hit a bunch of threes it’s a big momentum builder for us,” he said.
