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View Full Version : NCAA Approves 3-Point Line Extension



mizzOUstu702
5/3/2007, 01:43 PM
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2859065


Twenty years ago, the NCAA made one of the most significant rules changes in its history when it instituted the 3-point shot.

In the year of the 20-year anniversary, the NCAA men's basketball rules committee decided the line needed a makeover.

So, beginning with the 2008-09 season, assuming the measure is approved May 25 by the Playing Rules Oversight Committee, the line will move back a full foot to 20 feet, 9 inches.

The change could dramatically affect post play, who takes and makes a 3-point shot and at what percentage, and possibly lead to an increase in mid-range shot attempts.

The women's committee decided to keep its line at 19 feet, 9 inches, meaning there will be two distances and, possibly, two different lines on courts that men's and women's programs share.

Larry Keating, who chairs the rules committee and is also an associate athletic director at Kansas, said he didn't foresee the oversight committee rejecting the measure. In the past, he said, rules changes went through the board of directors and got caught up in other legislation. He said that's not the case anymore.

Keating said the lane width won't be changed. So, the line will now be three inches longer than the international line, giving high school players an ability to graduate to an international line, a college line and, perhaps, in some cases, to the NBA line of 23 feet, 9 inches.

For the most part Thursday, reaction to the change was favorable.

"Players are good enough that they will adjust," said BYU coach Dave Rose, whose Cougars ranked fifth nationally in 3-point percentage (41.5). "The purpose was to open up the space on the floor. But I don't think a foot will make that much of a difference. Players will figure it out."

Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, who is the current president of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, said he was surprised the committee adopted the change without altering the width of the lane.

"I thought you had to do both," Boeheim said. "Moving the line back is good and I wanted that, but I almost thought you had to do both. We've definitely helped the low-post guy. We've created space in there. We'll have to see how it plays out."

Charlotte coach Bobby Lutz, who was serving on the committee for the first time, said he plans on marking the new distance on his practice court by the spring of 2008 to ready for individual workouts. Lutz said he is doing that since most of the time lines are put on the courts only one time. The cost of changing the lines on courts across the country is the main reason the distance won't be in place until 2008-09.

Lutz said his players usually shot well beyond the existing 3-point line, so he doesn't see the added foot as a big distraction. But he said players still gravitate toward the line when they take their shots.

"This should allow for more mid-range games and spreading the floor," Lutz said. "It will force coaches to make a decision on defense. It remains to be seen what will happen with 3-point percentages."

Lutz said he wasn't in favor of widening the lane so that the mid-range game could be preserved.

"The criticism was that there was too much jammed-up play," Lutz said of the current configuration on the floor. "That led to physical play."

The rules committee also eliminated the first lane space nearest the basket on each side during free-throw alignment and added two situations in which referees will be allowed to use courtside monitors to determine whether a flagrant foul has occurred. They may also use monitors to determine who may have played a role in a fight.

Not too sure about the whole two lines thing. I always hated just looking at it when NBA/College teams play on each others' courts. Wouldn't want to play on it either, but what do I know.

Ash
5/3/2007, 01:47 PM
IMHO, it should be moved back even further.

Boomer.....
5/3/2007, 01:51 PM
Probably a good idea since teams are jacking up so many 3's. They do need to figure out the line situation though.

crawfish
5/3/2007, 02:27 PM
Should be moved back to Pro distance, but a good change.

JDawg2303
5/3/2007, 04:27 PM
Should be moved back to Pro distance, but a good change.

I agree. If college is a building block to the pros, then it should reflect that as well. Besides, it has become too easy to make a 3 now, mostly because players are stronger and taller than they were when the line was instituted. Like a cost of living change, there should be a line change for player growth or something like that.

yermom
5/3/2007, 04:35 PM
what is the NBA line?

seems silly to have 3 different lines...

Ash
5/3/2007, 04:37 PM
what is the NBA line?

seems silly to have 3 different lines...

according to the article, it's 23' 9". I can understand why the college line is different, but I've never understood the funky international line, rules, etc.

JDawg2303
5/3/2007, 04:38 PM
College will be moved back 1 foot from 19 feet 9 inches. International 3-pt line is 20 feet 6 inches and the NBA is 23 feet 9 inches at the top of the key. (Link to my source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/basketball/ncaa/05/03/bc.bkc.ncaa.3.pointline.ap/index.html)

sooner518
5/3/2007, 05:23 PM
seems like this will make it harder to hit 3's, thus hurting smaller schools who rely on good 3 point shooting to beat major teams.

yermom
5/3/2007, 05:37 PM
according to the article, it's 23' 9". I can understand why the college line is different, but I've never understood the funky international line, rules, etc.

i mean three on one court at the same time

two already looks weird

Ardmore_Sooner
5/3/2007, 06:23 PM
i mean three on one court at the same time

two already looks weird

I agree, things could get confusing. Some players tend to get lost in the Big 12 tourney due to two different lines.

Ash
5/3/2007, 07:30 PM
i mean three on one court at the same time

two already looks weird

heh...OK, I get it now.

And I completely agree, I hate the two lines.

oumartin
5/3/2007, 11:53 PM
they continue to screw up the game. the three point line needed to stay where it was at.

JDawg2303
5/4/2007, 08:05 AM
I disagree. Because players typically get bigger and taller with each generation they need to keep up with that to keep the game challenging. I think they should just pick one and keep the line the same distance with that line (either international or NBA).

FtwTxSooner
5/4/2007, 08:55 AM
The 3 point shot itself is what screwed with the game. This is one small attempt to get the game back to where it was.

JDawg2303
5/4/2007, 09:01 AM
The 3 point shot itself is what screwed with the game. This is one small attempt to get the game back to where it was.

I think the 3-point shot enhanced the game. Think about it. If there wasn't a 3-pt shot, then the game would get boring. All you would have is everyone trying to pound it inside. The centers would greatly benefit both with fame and financially. The guards would become more useless and the defense would consist of piling in near the lane. The 3-point shot makes the guards more relevant and spreads the floor making the game more exciting.

OSUAggie
5/4/2007, 09:34 AM
The 3 point shot itself is what screwed with the game. This is one small attempt to get the game back to where it was.

We need to get rid of the shot clock, too, while we're at it... :rolleyes: Or at least move it back to 45 seconds....

starclassic tama
5/4/2007, 12:20 PM
yeah we might as well get rid of black players too while we're at it

TheHumanAlphabet
5/4/2007, 03:50 PM
What I read is that the women's line isn't being moved. So that means 2 lines on the floor...

yermom
5/4/2007, 04:12 PM
What I read is that the women's line isn't being moved. So that means 2 lines on the floor...

unless the floor is used by the NBA and college

somewhere like the Ford Center was for the NCAA tournament

TheUnnamedSooner
5/4/2007, 06:05 PM
IMHO, it should be moved back even further.

Just make it at half court and get rid of all the lines!

Tear Down This Wall
5/10/2007, 10:22 PM
In the spirit of Spinal Tap, they should just make it an 11 point line and make it be the one worth the most points.

GottaHavePride
5/11/2007, 12:55 PM
Heh. We could leave the line where it was, if we jack the basket up to 10'6" or so.

MichiganSooner
5/23/2007, 11:49 AM
How about a foul during a 3-point attempt? Fairly often, the shooter leans into the defender or falls backward just in case he misses a 30 footer but the ref calls the foul, he gets 3 shots from the foul line.

I'd like to see them get 3 shots from behind the 3-point line, in that case.

What does anybody think?

TheUnnamedSooner
5/23/2007, 01:55 PM
Heh. We could leave the line where it was, if we jack the basket up to 10'6" or so.

6" ?? How about we jack it up to about 15ft. or have two baskets at different heights worth different points.