NCAA To Move Back Three-Point Line

By The Associated Press

College basketball players might want to start polishing up their long-range shooting.

The men's basketball rules committee approved a measure
Thursday that would move the 3-point line back one foot in 2008-09 —
from 19 feet, 9 inches to 20 feet, 9 inches. If approved by the playing
rules oversight committee on May 25, it would mark the first major
alteration to the 3-point shot since its inception in 1986-87.

The move comes after more than a decade of debate about
whether to move the line. The extended line has been used on an
experimental basis in some early-season tournaments and NCAA statistics
have not shown a dramatic change in shooting percentages from the
longer line. But the rules change had never previously had passed the
rules committee for regular-season and postseason games.

Chairman Larry Keating said the committee considered two
proposals. The other would have moved the line to 20 feet, 6 inches,
the same distance as international 3-pointers. Both are shorter than
the NBA line, which is 23 feet, 9 inches at the top of the key and 22
feet at its shortest point in the baseline corners.

"We made it a point to come up with a distance that was
correct for us and that didn't necessarily mimic the international
line," Keating said.

Women's rules committee chairwoman Ronda Seagraves said the
3-point line will remain unchanged in women's basketball, and Bruce
Howard, spokesman for the National Federation of State High School
Associations, said he's unaware of any discussion about moving it on
the prep level. High schools also use the 19-foot, 9-inch distance.

The new men's rule would be adopted by all three college divisions, and Keating expects the measure to pass in three weeks.

"It (the committee) has passed what we've done for the most
part unless there are financial or safety issues, so, yes, I think it
will be approved," he said.

The reason for delaying the change until November 2008 is money.

Keating said it was unfair to charge schools a surprise
expenditure when most of the budgets for next year have already been
approved. Still, Keating has been anticipating change for two decades.

"I like to say the day that it passed was the day we began
discussing moving it back," Keating said. "The basic percentages
haven't changed. I think it's safe to say you might see some reversal
on that (percentages) for men."

NCAA statistics show that 3-point percentages since 1992 have
hovered between 34.1 and 35.6 percent each year. Stats from the
experimental line showed shooting percentages between 34 and 35 percent.

Still, some coaches prefer no change.

"I come from the school of thought that if it's not broke,
don't fix it," Indiana's Kelvin Sampson said in a statement released by
the university. "I think the 3-point shooting percentages will stay the
same, there just won't be as many kids shooting 3s. Coaches will have
to be a little more judicious determining who can and can't make the
shot."

UCLA coach Ben Howland took issue with the decision not to use the international 3-point line.

Howland, who has taken the Bruins to the Final Four two
straight years, believes it will lead to more zone defenses and said he
expected UCLA players to make a smooth adjustment.

"I didn't think it was a bad change to move it to the
international line. I think the feeling was there were too many
3-pointers being shot," Howland said. "The 3-point shots I think have
been a great part of college basketball and professional basketball.
Hopefully this will work the way the rules committee is anticipating."

Keating said the primary reason for making a change was to
create more space between perimeter and post players. Ideally, that
would help the rules committee continue on its mission to spread the
floor and reduce physical play.

In another move, the committee approved a measure that would
change the way players line up on free throws. Rebounders would have to
move back one spot on the floor, following the same rules women's
basketball teams currently use.

But the committee rejected adding the arch underneath the
basket for charge-block calls, a line the NBA uses, in part because it
believed there would be too many lines on the court.

It also passed measures that would allow officials to use
replay monitors when trying to determine flagrant fouls and to assess
who started a fight. Next year's points of emphasis will include the
block-charge calls underneath the basket, enforcement of the coaches'
box and palming.

The women's rules committee passed a measure requiring
officials to use replay when a fight breaks out. Current rules allow
officials to use replay monitors, but do not make it mandatory.

The points of emphasis in the women's game next year will
focus on traveling, unsportsmanlike behavior and enforcement of the
legal guarding position. The committee also rewrote its rules on
technical fouls, which will now count toward individual and team fouls.

Bruin Recruiting: Prep News Roundup (4/30)

By Bruin Basketball Report

Prep News Roundup is published every Monday.

Commits

L.A. City Player of the Year and Best in the West selection Chace
Stanback of Fairfax High played as if he intends to make a serious run
at some immediate playing time as a UCLA freshman while leading his
teammates to a 104-95 victory over their Southern Section counterparts
Saturday night during the ninth Collision Classic All-Star Game at El
Camino College. The 6-foot-7 Stanback, who led the Lions to L.A. City and
state (Div. I) titles in March, scored 26 points with seven rebounds,
three blocked shots and three steals Press Telegram 4/24

If you have yet to take in Kevin Love, checking out a replay of the Hoop Summit should give you a pretty good feel for what he will bring to the table for Ben Howland and UCLA this fall. He displayed just about everything that has earned him the top spot in many analysts’ Top 100 lists, from the advanced skill level and the immense strength, to the near-superhuman feel for the game. In short, the Bruins are getting an All-American, the type of all-around presence that is more than capable of shouldering the load on a national championship run – even as a freshman. DraftExpress 4/25

Recruits

Drew Gordon, a top 20 power forward from San Jose, Calif., said he
intends to narrow his choices this weekend after meeting with his high
school coach. He has visited Arizona, California, Washington, Duke,
North Carolina and UCLA so far."They're definitely in the mix still," Gordon said of the UA. "I'm really interested. It was  a good visit." Gordon said he was looking primarily to see how he would fit in on
the floor, an area where the Wildcats should have an advantage: They
have only three post players, Jordan Hill, Mohamed Tangara and Alex
Jacobson, an incoming freshman this fall, on their tentative 2008-09
roster. Arizona Star 4/24

With a top and most likely final three of Arizona, UCLA and North Carolina, four-star point guard Larry Drew
certainly can't go wrong no matter what college he chooses. However,
the 6-foot-0, 160-pound Woodland Hills (Calif.) Taft star is having
trouble coming to a final decision. Gator Bait 4/24

University of Kentucky basketball coach Billy Gillispie has signed the
first recruit of his tenure with the Wildcats and it’s a high-profile
player. Oak Hill Academy guard Alex Legion, a Parade Magazine All-American,
signed scholarship papers with the Wildcats earlier this morning. Courier Journal 4/24

Jrue Holiday grew up a Carolina fan and was mesmerized when he made an
unofficial visit to attend last season's game against Wake Forest, when
UNC's 1957 and 1982 national championship teams were honored at the
Smith Center. Mrs. Holiday has been just as impressed with Williams as Larry Drew has been. "I
just love him," said Mrs. Holiday, who has an effervescent personality.
"The man is wonderful. When you talk basketball, Roy Williams' name is
up there. But I like him because his character is outstanding. He is
just a wonderful man. "When I talk to him on the phone, we talk
about how he is a teacher. He talks about his family, his wife. My
husband and I think about it, what is it that I'm looking for? They
will be pretty much raising my child for the next four years. I want someone he can look up to rather than making it all just a business." Chapel Hill News 4/25

Elijah Johnson, 6-2 SO PG Las Vegas (Nev.) Cheyenne, is an explosive athlete with a very high skill level. Johnson can get to the rim at will, shoot to the stripe and create for his teammates. He’s still young, and needs to learn to maintain his focus, but he’s got a very high upside. As of this writing, he’s the top West Coast point guard prospect in 2009 and he’s got a chance to be one of the best prospects in the country.
We spoke with Johnson briefly about the early stages of his recruitment. We asked Johnson about the schools that he’s currently interested in.
“I like Kansas, Memphis and Texas,” said Johnson. “I like the way those schools play. I’d kind of like to get away from the West Coast. If I did stay in the west, the one school I would consider is UCLA. I watched them some this year and they play hard and work hard. And they never give up, no matter the score.” Rebel Nation 4/25

(photo credit: SI)