Ryan Wittman on Syracuse's Radar

Syracuse will see its share of shooters in the next week

By Donna Ditola
Syracuse Post Standard
November 17, 2009

The Syracuse basketball team is preparing to play California on Thursday in Madison Square Garden. Next Tuesday, Cornell visits the Carrier Dome.

Cal and Cornell are two of the nation's best 3-point shooting teams. Last year, Cal led the nation in 3-point field goal percentage at 42.7 percent. Cornell was fourth at 41.1.

Both teams expect to equal or better those numbers this season. The Bears are shooting 41.4 percent (12-of-29) from that distance in their two wins this year. Cornell made 56 percent of its threes (10-of-18) in its season-opening win at Alabama.

Cal counts on its trio of guards/wing players in Jerome Randle (40 percent), Theo Robertson (66.7 percent) and Patrick Christopher (36.4 percent) to connect from beyond the arc. Cornell's Ryan Wittman (62.5 percent) is one of the nation's best 3-point shooters. Look for a video interview with him that will be posted closer to the SU vs. Cornell game. The Big Red point guard Louis Dale (50 percent) can also stroke the three. Chris Wroblewski struggled against 'Bama (25 percent), but he can knock down the distance shot. Wroblewski shot 45 percent from 3-point range last season.

Cal coach Mike Montgomery said his three shooting studs "are good shooters and have good range." Cornell coach Steve Donahue said those kind of players usually arrive on campuses already armed with a potent shooting touch.

"I would say that great 3-point shooters in college, it's something these guys came here with," Donahue said on Monday. "It's something we look for (in recruiting). I think you can make kids who aren't very good shooters into reasonably good shooters. But kids who shoot at this level with this range are guys who I think this is their strength coming into college.

"What we hope to do is add all the other aspects of the game, which I think you can teach to kids who have an IQ. You can get stronger. You can learn how to read defenses a little better. You can play better defense. But the ability, the pedigree to be able to make shots from distance is hard to (develop) if you don't have that coming in."

The Big Red's home opener is Friday in Ithaca against Seton Hall. If you're a Syracuse fan who can't be in Manhattan for the 2K Sports Classic, you might want to take the trip to Ithaca to see that game. Tickets, I hear, are going fast. The Orange plays Cornell on Nov. 24; SU faces Seton Hall on Dec. 29 in both teams' Big East opener.